They said we'd burn so bright.
We burn this city and go.
Paradiso ambled down the hill with little fear. But he hadn't started out that way. The first time he and Ostara had managed to scale the small slope, he was afraid for his life. But somehow he managed to rock his splashed frame down it unscathed. And every time he did it after that, he felt a little more confident in his own abilities. It made him feel strong and confident. If he can conquer this little hill, what else could he do?
He waited patiently at the bottom of the slope with his eyes trained on Bri, watching as she inched her way down apprehensively. "You can do it Bri!" He shouted up to her in encouragement, tossing his head wildly and sending the dark strands of his mane to lap every which way against his topline and down the sides of his neck. He saw a little bit of himself in her as she moved cautiously and awkwardly down the uneven land. Once she'd reached flat earth at the bottom, Paradiso errupted in celebration. The young stallion cantered circles around her, launching himself into bucking fits and bouncy half rears as he did so. "You were great!" He shouted, with the biggest, most genuine smile on his face.
It was a pleasant role reversal for him. Paradiso was so used to being coaxed into doing new things by Ostara. He was always on the receiving end of her gentle nudges and exuberant displays when he managed to match her bravery. It always made him feel special. It felt nice for him to return the favor to someone else.
He slowed his pace to a trot and swung his head back to look at Bri again. "Let's check out the river. I want to see if there's any ice forming over it." He said aloud. The way he talked to Bri so far was different than anyone else. He felt comfortable sharing just about any thought that popped up into his mind with her. He knew that she wouldn't respond. But the young stallion just wanted to share with her. He whinnied to her as they strode out across flatter lands and toward a river that snaked its way through the forest and across the edge of the Prairie. Paradiso's dark smokey colored ear lobes pricked forward when he registered the sounds of the rushing brook in the distance. He slowed his gait to a walk and then a halt when the reached it. While there was some scattered snow patches along the riverbank, it wasn't nearly cold enough, or covered enough, to form ice. Paradiso deflated some when he saw this. "I heard there are places on the islands that get, like, a LOT of snow. So much that ice freezes over their rivers!" He explained.
Paradiso 2 | Stallion | Evaline x Valentine | Smoky black pintaloosa | 15 hh | Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
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