The river stone stallion is moss-soft and masculine, mysterious as an undercurrent, and as their noses meet Reef's desire to know what lies beneath his surface deepens. Often the river gives only a glimpse of the treasures lying in its bed, winking in the uneven sunlight, and she watches him now for little bits of that— the things which make him shine.
"Islands," she confirms what each stallion has shared, tucking her head in supreme delight. Reef has been landlocked before, but only for a short time. Her adventuring had brought her out of earshot of the sea and its gulls, stole from the wind the briny waft she had known since birth, and left her adrift in an ocean of grass and trees whose life seemed strange without the comforting backdrop of a beach. It had been terrible to keep wandering inland in search of the sea. To learn that this place she has washed up on is surrounded by saltwater and, more, has neighbors that are also islands feels like a great gift. Reef meets eyes of amber and blue with unconcealed joy.
Her gaze lingers on Zevulun. She is flattered, immeasurably, by the regard of the pearlskin stallion. Who would not be? He is handsome and lively, and his attention washes over her like a warm tide. His grin is also contagious, and draws from her another unconscious smile as she replies, "I like the way you think. My mother used to say I should have been born with fins, for I was more often wet than dry." This last she offers with laughter, looking between the two, unabashed, before she adds, "I am Reef."
The dark male —Vidarr, as he has been named twice now— wears an expression wild with delight, his amber eyes gleaming as the storm draws ever closer, clearly invigorated by the lightning and thunder. She does not think rain will dampen his spirit, which grows ever more alluring as the sky darkens and finally begins to spit. The sand is peppered with random dots, mimicking the rain pattern quickly darkening all of their coats, and when Vidarr beckons she leaps into an easy trot to follow him. Reef tosses her dark head at Zevulun as she passes, throwing a prance in her gait and flashing him a challenging glance as if to say, bet you can't keep up. Then she lengthens her stride so as not to lose their guide, and for a time the scenery is little more than a blur of grassy knolls and spindly trees as they race ahead of the storm.
How lucky for Reef, to be awash in so much energy so similar to her own. |