His pace slows when he hears the high pitch of the filly. Joy spreads across his face as he watches her run after him, her dark body also shining with the rain and water from the world around them. The light glistening off her dark pelt was reflective of the night sky; she was the dark and the stars brought down to run on the earth.

Ailill should have known she would sneak away from her mother the first chance she had. Not only was it something any self-respecting youngster would do, but he could not imagine being stuck under the critical gaze of the desert mare. His heart broke for the filly who was forced to remain with her mother, but he also thought it wise to keep his distance from the temperamental she-beast. Their first, and only real, interaction had been ‘civil’ to say the absolute very least. It had been unspoken but the stallion took the encounter to mean she would not tolerate his company any longer than necessary, so he did not force it upon her. He figured along those lines, if she knew he encouraged her daughter’s obvious adventurous nature the mother would skin his pretty hide and hang it on her wall. ….if she had the ability to do so. His little companion, however, was a pleasure to see whenever he got the chance. This time, his heart skipped a beat when she was the one who invited him to play. Only for a breath he stopped in his tracks to let her nip him and go racing away again. Grinning recklessly, he gave her a few seconds head start before picking up his feet to follow her.

Memories playing tag with his sister raced into his mind as he raced after Shararat. The older sibling had always won due to her age and longer legs. The frustration at never being able to catch Taika had boiled into a rather unbecoming rage at the time. It had been his longest childish sulk he would admit to. Afterward Taytim had given her daughter a stern talking to. The day after Ailill had ‘won’ his first game. The tides of pouting faces had changed, but he had felt incredible at being able to best his sister.

Taking note, the stallion slowed his pace just slightly. Using the twists and turns of the trails as well as the thick foliage as an excuse for falling behind he kept the girl just out of his reach. Occasionally he would speed up to attempt in vain to nip her haunch before tripping and falling back again. Laughing easily he let the filly choose their path and their pace. Cautiously he kept an eye on their proximity to the swollen river. The water racing fast than normal from the monsoon rains.