Falls

She was still for only as long as it took the thought 'She can stand still.' to cross his mind, but the resulting burst of energy right after is near frantic, as if to make up for that moment of quiet. He ceases to follow her restless pacing after the first few turns, instead turning his gaze back to the water to follow the way it parts around his dark legs...and the faint ribbons of grime just barely visible as the tattered ends of his tail have finally begun to wash clean. He keeps an ear tipped in Swift's direction however, listening intently to what seemed more like a steam of consciousness than any actual answer. When she finally does reach the end of her thought process, No finds that it is both satisfactory and logical given the givens; water would be anathema to anyone who seemed as incapable of remaining still as the dark mare. It resists force; pushes back almost as hard and quickly exhausts anyone who doesn't realize as much and softens their approach. Swift didn't seem like the type who would ever quite figure that out and he can see it so easily; the wasted energy struggling to go faster when all she was actually doing was slowing herself down. He doesn't get a chance to voice his understanding though as the mare leaps boldly into the river, No's head snapping back at her sudden proximity as his ears flatten against his skull. He snaps at her, teeth closing over more air than skin but he makes his displeasure known as he backpedals out of her path. It is not the splashing that he minds, doesn't do so much as shake the water from his now dripping mane as he levels her with a hard glare. He did not suffer strangers in his personal space and illustrates the point by stepping out of the river on the opposite bank, tensed and ready to maintain the five foot radius should she attempt to cross to his side of the water way. He may not be as fast in a sprint but he could outlast her, easily. "I never said you feared it. Are you sure you're not trying to tell yourself something?" he asks cooly, and then decides he has no desire to hear her answer, turning into the forest and taking his leave of the mare. This section of river was getting too crowded.