They said we'd burn so bright.
We burn this city and go.
Life in the Bay was going surprisingly well. Paradiso hadn't met many others yet, but after spending a good deal of time with Maziel and Zevulun, he rested easy feeling like he fit in naturally with the rest of the herd here. Tinuvel had so much to offer, too. Every turn offered a new and varied landscape, not like the same old rolling hill after yellow rolling hill in the Prairie. The temperatures were definitely taking some getting used to, but Paradiso used his inexperience with the elements here as another excuse to cozy up with Maziel when he could. The appaloosa boy was absolutely smitten with her. She was smart and strong and interesting. She had different ideas. She was stoic and calm, but could handle herself, too. Paradiso found himself thinking of her nearly every minute of the day. When he wasn't around her, he was seeking her out, trying not to be too hovering but always looking for a excuse to be in her company.
So needless to say, Paradiso felt like life was taking a better turn for him, here in the Bay. Zevulun and Maziel and the others were a happy distraction. Paradiso felt useful here, which helped him to stop dwelling on just how unuseful he was to his own family in their time of need. They were the ones who left him behind, though, he reminded himself. They all chose to be elsewhere, and told him to go somewhere else to. So he did. And he told himself he shouldn't feel guilty about it. Not that he never planned to see his family again. After spending a couple of days in the Lagoon with Argento, Paradiso realized family was important. It had its place in his life. But he wasn't going to let his brother's, mother's, and sister's problems consume his own life all the time anymore. And he'd reach out to them again when he was ready.
The spotted stallion was wandering slowly down a forested slope, his dull hooves crunching through old patches of thick snow as he weaved his way through the towering pines. He could smell the seawater in the distance and hear the chirps of the arctic birds whom lived along the coast. In the passing cold breeze, he also caught the familiar scent of Shamwari. Bewildered, the stallion stopped dead in his tracks, two dark ears flicked forward and at attention, his icy blue stare searching through the thicket for the familiar red frame of his brother. Then his baritone call streaked across the sky, ruffling the ospreys whom nested overhead. Paradiso's mood immediately soured. He snorted several times in quick succession, lobes now laced at his poll, before reluctantly answering the call. It took several minutes for him to manuver down the slope, where the terrain turned from dead grass buried under snow, to web pebbles, puddles and sleet. He eyed his brother's brown, heavy-set frame in the distance for a moment longer before ambling over with his head set high over his withers.
"What are you doing here Shamwari?" He spat, his dark tail flicking almost violently over his haunches. "How did you find me?"
Stallion | Evaline x Valentine | Smokey black pintaloosa | 15 hh | Photo © Carina Mailwald | © Vinyl |
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