castillon of the prairie.

The day had been a rather mundane and normal one which, in a few months’ time, the buckskin was going to learn he should be very, very grateful for. The brisk walk along the shoreline in the morning had been mostly uneventful, though he had met up with his younger half-brother Lohan a little ways through and the pair had a spirited race down the sands with their laughter spilling out loudly around them. When they came to a stop, panting heavily, they shared grins and pretended to spar (nothing connected, they just expressed their energy by throwing their heads and playfully bullying their bodies into one another) before going their separate ways to finish their morning guardian duties.

Since then, Castillon had found quiet moments to graze among the herd, to check in with his loved ones and make certain everyone was well. Then when the sun climbed a little higher, the day stretching toward the afternoon, he decided to get moving again.

This time he intended to walk the inland border of the Prairie, though that was mostly more uneventful than the shoreline was. It was not often that their neighbors crossed over into the Prairie, despite how tirelessly his sire had worked to make sure every leader on Luthien knew they had a friend and ally in Zevulun and his home. Maybe, like the Prairie, the Forest, Thicket, and Savanna were blessed with whatever calmness had come to enter the days. If history was to be paid attention to, they’d need to enjoy the peace while they could. Time and time again Castillon had watched how quickly it could be ripped away and torn asunder, leaving them to try and quietly put the pieces back together just to feel like they could breathe again.

As he walked along the sight of a lump of horse lying beneath the shade of one of the old, towering oak trees drew him to a quick halt some distance away, his head raising high and nostrils flaring as he tried to both see what he could from where he stood and drinking in what scents he could get to best assess the situation before he went closer. It was the feminine scent (not one of the Prairie) that drew his curiosity in the end, causing the young stallion to drop his head and step somewhat carefully forward, suddenly very aware of every noise he was making.

He wasn’t intending to sneak up on the poor thing, but he just was curious about getting a closer look while he could and, when he was near enough to, he felt himself suck in a sharp, sudden breath. The mare napping among the shaded grasses was beautiful…

She also smelled of the Thicket, which very much meant she could be a resident there and he knew better than to ogle at his neighbor’s herd members.

Castillon cleared his throat a little loudly after he’d shuffled just a bit closer, hoping he might gently rouse her instead of frightening her. “Sorry,” he offered with a small smile once she’d opened her eyes to him, “you looked so peaceful I almost let you keep sleeping, but I’m doing border checks and just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

He wanted to ask her a million other things, personal questions, with burning curiosity but he kept reminding himself over and over again to behave.

whoever makes my baby cry is gonna lose some teeth tonight
stallion ∙ mutt ∙ zevulun x riesling ∙ buckskin snowcap ∙ 15.3 hands