M A G N U S
THE spotted boy had intended to stop short of getting too close to the pair but the sight of his daughter had caused his brain to momentarily detach from his body. It was the clack of the black mare’s teeth that alerted him to his mistake and sent him shying backwards a couple of steps in surprise. There was an apology on his lips but it dissolved as the searing pain in his shoulder stole all sound and breath from his lungs. In the moments it took him to recover, Elexzra’s stony voice rung out, chilling the already icy air between them, and he laughed. ”I feel like it too” He hadn’t realised that laughing would hurt too. Whoever said laughter was the best medicine surely hadn’t hitched a ride on a crumbling mountain face.
MAGNUS watched the black woman carefully as their daughter wobbled towards him. Elexzra was bad tempered at the best of times and he’d heard new mothers could her ferocious – even the normally timid mares. The dark woman seemed to find the filly’s actions entertaining thought and the blue eyed boy relaxed a little, watching the young girl inspect him. His thoughts flickered back to his arrival on the island and the pale mare, Jay and her filly, Mjar. It seemed this was how most foals reacted to him. ”She’s beautiful” he mused, ”but that’s hardly surprising with such good looking parents”. He gave a small laugh, before remembering how much it hurt. ”Have you thought of a name yet?”
WHEN the dark filly trips on her way back to her mother he reaches out to catch her fall abruptly but it ultimately too far away and too slow. Elexzra was not quick enough either it seemed but he supposed there was probably a lesson in there somewhere for the filly. His shoulder throbbed from the sudden movement all the same, eclipsing the dull ache that constantly gripped his entire right side and the stiffness in his joints.
IT seemed that even Elexzra felt some form of sympathy towards him and he bit the inside of his cheek at the thought. ”I guess I did such a good job evading and luring the predators away from the herd, mother nature thought it would be funny to knock me down instead.” She suggested cleaning the wound on his shoulder in the ocean. He cringed at the thought of the sting the salt water would inflict despite the fact that it would disinfect and aid the healing process. ”It’s not that bad.” he informed, ”I think the cold helped but uh, I’ll probably take your advice just to be sure.” Not now though; the chill of the ocean would probably be the death of him if he tried to step in it before he’d had a decent rest.
THE bald faced boy shifted uneasily, his blue eyes trailing over the bay with a sigh before his gaze fell back on her. ”How have you been finding the bay?” he wondered, ”I’m sorry I didn’t find you sooner. I looked when I first noticed your scent on the breeze but....you’re a tricky one to find.” his tail flicked restlessly around his hocks. ”Soljor needed me to patrol the northern border. There was a snow leopard….you wouldn’t believe how frustrating and stubborn they can be. Hopefully now still being frustrating and stubborn for the caribou and not coming back to the bay.
ONLY THE STRONG WILL SURVIVE |