Username: aray17
Show Name: With Monks I Meditate
Barn Name: Sila (Hawaiian word for "seal")
Gender: mare
Halter: Hawaii inspired
Seal?: As a young filly, I lived near the beach of Hana, on the Hawaiian island, Maui. It was a secluded beach and no one ever visited it so often times I would see Hawaiian Monk Seals swim up and rest. At a young age, my mother would go down to visit the mother seals. They were friendly to her and they were her best friends. My mother would bring them coconuts and other treats from our ranch. The seals were so different and unlike anything I had ever seen before. They did not have long legs and looked like lumps of oats mushed together. I could not understand how they moved and made their way across the sand or through the ocean. I stayed far away from the seals because they also smelled funny. I was not impressed with these large, gelatinous creatures. Day after day, I watched my mother approach the Hawaiian Monk Seals and warmly greet them. The seals would get so excited to see her and I could not figure out why my mother was friends with these creatures that did not have legs or ears. But, one day, I decided to walk down to the beach with my mom rather than just watch and wait for her to come back. As I walked on the soft sand of the beach, I saw the seals start to come out of the water and I was at first a little scared and intimidated. But, as the seals got closer to my mother and I, I could see their friendly and kind looking faces and so my anxiety and fear went away. A young seal approached me and nudged my front leg with its flipper. My immediate reaction was "What do I do with this thing?" but then I looked down at it and it motioned for me to come to the water with it. As I walked towards the water with the little seal, it said to me "Hey you land creature, what are you and what's your name?" I was at first shocked that it could talk to me and then I replied "I am a horse and my name is Sila. What's your name?" She replied, "My name is Mele and these are my friends Aloha, Haku, and Kahili." I looked around and saw that I was surrounded by little seals in the water. They looked at me with big, curious eyes and started splashing me in the shallow water. I started to run through the shallow water and all four of the seals chased me to no end. I swam out a little farther to try to get a little rest from them, but I had forgotten that their powerful flippers and tails could keep up with my scrawny legs. Underwater, they circled my legs and body. Part of me was amazed with their ability to swim so gracefully through the water as opposed to me who was almost drowning and the other part of me was worried that they were going to knock me into coral or get me tangled up in the undertow. I started to panic and my anxiety started to kick in when the seals hadn't come up for air in a long time. I waited a little bit longer and then I saw their heads pop up one by one. While we were swimming, the seals would bring me shells and coral pieces from the ocean floor. I had only seen small fragments of whole shells wash up onto the wet and mushy sand of the beach but never had I seen a full shell. I would watch them in awe as they dove down far underwater and would bring up deep treasures. Eventually, I got tired and had to go back to shore but soon I returned to the water to play with my new friends. Aloha, Haku, Kahlili and Mele all jumped on my back and I started to struggle to swim and my fear kicked in. Soon, I went underwater and felt the undertow pull me under. I spun underwater and tried to get to the surface but the current was too strong. My head rapidly knocked into a coral reef and I went unconscious. When I woke up, I choked on some water that was trapped inside of my lungs and I saw all four of the seals huddled around me. They kept poking me with their flippers and nudging me to make sure I was alive and not hurt. When my hearing finally came back to me, all four seals kept trying to tell me their interpretation of how they rescued me and brought me back to shore. From what I could gather out of their battle to tell their version of the story the loudest, the seals saw me go under and when there was a break in the sets of waves, they pulled me to shore. I laid on the soft, wet sand for a long time while my new friends brought me piles and piles of beautiful shells as apology gifts for jumping on my back. I told them it was not necessary but they insisted on bringing me more and more. My mother and the mother monk seals watched closely and checked on me to make sure I was alright. After a little bit of resting, I got back up and started to walk across the beach and then I stumbled across a Hawaiian sea turtle who was napping in the warm sand. I stopped to look at it and then my four new companions came chasing after me and Haku hopped onto its back. The turtle soon awoke and freaked out a little until he realized it was a pesky little seal pup. The turtle started to move towards the ocean and grumbled about how he can't get any rest these days thanks to annoying little creatures. Eventually, Haku hopped off of the grumpy old turtle's back and laughed and mocked the turtle lightly. We then all went to a secret cave only I knew about so I could show them my hidden treasure which was mainly rocks and coral pieces but to me they were quite valuable. As we ventured further down the dark path into the sea cave, Aloha became very nervous and she needed a lot of comforting so I knelt down beside her and told her to hop onto my back. She thanked me graciously and told me all about her elaborate fear of the dark. I listened intently and sympathized with her. I too had a fear of the dark for quite some time but luckily I outgrew it thanks to my mother. I told Aloha all about my story of how I overcame my fear of the dark and Haku and Kahili both listened with open ears. When my story was finished, we reached the secret part of the cave where I stashed away my beloved valuable treasures. Kahili added some of the shells she found to the collection of riches and all four of us marveled in the glory and beauty of our great finds. Soon after we were done staring at our bounty, we collaboratively buried our precious jewels and then we headed on our long way back to our mothers and the warm ocean waves. Kahili and Aloha both rode on my back because they were too tired to walk supposedly and poor Haku had to tag along beside us because I was too lazy to carry him as well. Haku loudly grumbled out his frustration because of not getting a free ride but eventually his sourness turned to a cheerful attitude. As we were slowly walking down the beach, we saw the grumpy old turtle again. "Well well well we meet again old friend," Haku smirked and said to the poor, dissatisfied turtle. He grumbled and said pleading "Please leave me alone kids. The ocean waves are getting too strong for me and I don't have the energy or tolerance to deal with you young and loud whippersnappers." We stopped and Kahili and Aloha got off of my back. Aloha kindly said to the poor and worn out turtle "Sir is there anything we can do for you? We're sorry for bothering you earlier. We're quite the little pranksters and sometimes our pranks can go too far. We are very sorry for causing you any harm." The elderly and tired turtle slowly replied, "Well it is quite alright you young fellas. I have had my fair share of kids and I know they are quite tiring and frustrating at times. Well since you guys offered to help me, would your long legged friend mind giving me a ride to the palm trees? I would like to rest under the shade and finally catch some shuteye without those pesky humans getting all up in my face with their annoying contraptions. They always try to touch me and I hate my gorgeous shell being messed with." I knelt down to the elderly and exhausted turtle and my seals helped push him onto my back. I gently carried him over to the cool shade of the luscious palm trees and he slid off and graciously thanked me. I smiled and my friends and I continued on our way down the secluded beach. When we finally reached our mothers, they all were conversing oh so happily and could care less about where we had snuck off to. All four of us wrestled playfully in the soft mushy sand and kicked sand at each other playfully. It was sand tag and whoever had the most sand on them, lost. Since I was the biggest target, I easily had the most sand on me and lost. Our little ragtag group kept laughing about the game and soon we all laid down on the cool sand and made sand angels. Sand went flying and the laughter grew louder and louder. We all soon ran out of energy and so we all watched the mesmerizing waves crash onto the beach over and over. The waves were never ending and the relaxing sound of the waves put me into a calm and relaxing trance. Haku and Kahili raced each other to the water while Aloha and I relaxed and watched them play and race in the water. These creatures that I once thought were so gelatinous and ugly were so graceful and beautiful in the water. Watching them swirl and flip in the waves was like watching horses compete in the graceful art of dressage. On land they seemed so clumsy and the complete opposite of graceful, but in the strong currents where I struggled to stay afloat, they danced through the undertow and powerful waves. I was in awe of them and finally fully appreciated them. I learned that quick and rash judgments based on lack of information and short periods of time are inaccurate and that I should try my best to stop making such quick judgements. After watching my friends play in the water for quite some time, I decided to test out the water and see if I wanted to go back in. Aloha stayed by my side and went slowly into the water with me. I stayed in the shallower water and slowly made my way out towards my friends who were out in the water quite far. Haku and Kahili saw me trying to come out to them so they swam to me and we stayed in the shallower water so I would feel more comfortable and not threatened by the waves. We didn't want to have another tumbling accident again. Aloha and Kahili continued to find me more gorgeous shells and deep sea treasures while Haku chased several bright and colorful tropical fish who were much quicker than poor little Haku. As my pile of treasures grew and grew, the sun was setting on the horizon and we knew it was time to get out of the water because it was shark feeding time. Sharks come out at dusk and dawn so we didn't want to be mistaken as food. Seal pups are a popular dish among the sharks. All of us were growing tired and hungry and so it was time to say our goodbyes for the day. My mom and I returned to our stables and everyday from there on out, my ragtag group of friends was reunited. As we grew older, we sadly grew apart due to the demands of daily life. I miss my friends and I wish I could see them again. (2,105 words)
Extras:Personality:Mellow | Gentle | Curious | Learner
Sila is a mare who is quite mellow and goes with the flow like the tide. She's never one to start an argument. She gets along with everyone and is a mare who has a gentle spirit and is quite a softie. She loves to be around others and is always looking for hidden treasures and little trinkets. She loves to explore and wander on trail rides. She a mare who has a young spirit and whose curiosity will never die. Her curiosity pushes her to constantly want to grow and learn more about others and learn more about everything. She won't back down from a challenging routine. Sila always fixes her mistakes and takes criticism really well. She will admit her flaws and will gladly work on them to become a better friend and role model.
Likes/Dislikes:Likes:
-watching sunsets
-quiet beaches
-relaxing
-swimming
-the beach
-trail rides
-adventures with no set destination
-getting brushed
-summer
-ice cubes
-apples
-stargazing
-seashells
-traditional Hawaiian music
-mangoes
-bananas
Dislikes:
-winter
-the rain
-big waves
-busy places
-papayas
-cinnamon sticks
-long periods of arena work
-two-faced people
-snow
-the cold
-classical music
-thunderstorms
-swimming in murky or deep water
-people who take advantage of others
-litter
-nature being ruined
