SCIANNATH
If there was anything that age could admire of youth, it was their resiliency.
By the time that autumn arrived in the Peak with a wash of frigid air and a burst of sunset hues, Sciannath had already begun to forget the circumstances of his abandonment. And as the days of fear and uncertainty faded from his mind, so too did the appearance of the mare he’d been born to, and any memories he’d held of her. Perhaps this should have filled the blue colt with despair - that his mother Leto was gone, and that he could no longer remember the twilight-blue sheen of her coat, speckled with white spots like so many stars. But in a short life that had begun with so much sorrow, Sciannath was truly happy for the first time, his little heart so full that he felt it might burst. And why not? He had his mother Adelheid, his sister Claudya, and was safe and warm and well-fed.
Snuggled up next to the dark figure of the draft-like mare, Sciannath was awoken on this dewy fall morning by the gentle poke of a small muzzle. The boy’s golden eyes blinked open slowly, their lids feeling like lead-filled curtains - at least until he recognized the black-and-white figure of his sibling, and the glint of adventure in her eyes. Claudya had taken to the role of elder sibling and mischief-instigator with a natural flourish, and Rade’s son was a more-than-willing accomplice. She had already shown him so much, like the best place to scare fish in the creek, and the best ways to play keep-away. And in return, Sciannath idolized the older filly, tagging about at her heels like a miniature, mismatched shadow.
Wriggling eagerly away from the sleeping Vulcan, he bounced up into a stand, following Claudya out of their refuge. Smaller and slighter of build than the filly, he was able to navigate the densely-grouped trees with more ease, though with quite as little stealth. It seemed as if every little twig was determined to leap underneath his hooves, where they broke apart with resounding cracks - not that Sciannath took any notice. Because his sister had already disappeared, emerging from the shelter of the wood and into the open meadow, and the blue colt was desperate not to be left behind. Gathering his flanks beneath him, Sciannath hopped nimbly over a protruding root - and then promptly smacked into the tree that had birthed it with a thunk. Shaking his small head to ward off the sudden shock, the silvery boy regained his senses quickly, and went dashing headlong out into the sun.
By the time he joined Claudya, she was already down and rolling in the grass, the silver bells of her laughter ringing in the crisp air. Sciannath stalked toward her, intending to take advantage of her vulnerability to ‘tag’ her. But just before he had come within muzzle-bumping distance, the silver black filly was darting off again, nimbly evading his touch and splashing into the branching ribbons of water that wound through the grass. Breathless, he finally managed to catch up with her again as she paused at the mountain path - the one that mama Adelheid had told them was off limits. But when Claudya began to climb the path, Sciannath was not far behind, his little chest pumping like a bellows as the path steepened. “Siisssssss!” His small voice shrilled, tiny hooves slipping momentarily on the loose gravel before they dug into the earthen ground benearth. “Wait up!”
His thoughts consumed almost entirely by the fear of being abandoned in Claudya’s wake, the colt did ot stop to consider whether Adelheid might hear him. Or how much big trouble they were going to be in when she found out where they were.
0 | colt | mixed | smoky blue roan splash | 15.1hh