They said we'd burn so bright.
We burn this city and go.
At first the chill in the air was invigorating. It wiped away whatever lingering exhaustion the young stallion felt from his recent swim. Every brisk breathe that inflated his lungs lifted him higher and make his senses sharper. He reveled in the crispness of it all. Whatever this place was, it was magical. So he set off to explore. He was cautious as he did so, remembering Asp and Fenrir and the interactions he had with both stallions in his past. It seems some were not as friendly as his brother was when they came across strangers, and he should be prepared for that. Nevertheless, the spotted boy picked up a two-beat trot and ambled on his way.
He stopped to investigate interesting looking trees and hardened shrubs. He'd press the soft skin of his warm, dark muzzle against the bark as he took in the rich scents of pine and evergreen trees. He nibbled on a pine cone, even, snorting at it first cautiously when he didn't recognize what it was, but Paradiso spit out the splintered, dull tasting pieces. He hoped that wasn't what horses ate here as food.
Paradiso's attention was eventually caught by the sounds of hooves on rocks, and his ear lobes swiveled quickly in the direction of the disturbance. His small head followed suit, and his crystal blue gaze fell onto that of a slender mare who was moving eagerly toward him. Her expression did not seem menacing like Menkhet's had at times. Instead she seemed curious and for the most part, friendly, so he merely lifted his tail high off his rump and otherwise stayed frozen, watching her as she approached. Paradiso apprehensively returned her call with his own hoarse whinny, and squeaked out a small smile. When she speaks, his gaze drifts back to the mouth of the bay in the distance, the relatively calm and shallow waters protected by the mountains that hugged at both ends, and beyond opened up to the open ocean. "Oh, I'm fine." He replied politely. "Thanks for asking though."
Paradiso slapped his damp, dark tail along the side of his rump and turned somewhat on his haunches to face her. "Do you live here?" He asked curiously, cocking his head to one side. But he quickly was distracted by a dark bird taking flight from a tree overhead, its massive wingspan taking it high into the air, its tender call streaking across the sky as it moved. "Whoa." He said softly, before realizing he'd drifted so far from the conversation at hand. "This place is so... cool."
Stallion | Evaline x Valentine | Smokey black pintaloosa | 15 hh | Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
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