castillon of the prairie.
Though things had momentarily righted themselves in Castillon’s life he had not begun to feel the sort of peace he thought he might. The Prairie was meant to be a welcoming place for wayward strangers, but he found himself suspicious of anyone who crossed into the borders, convinced they meant harm. His father had made not-so-subtle comments here and there about the dwindled numbers of Castillon’s herd and, every time, it brought guilt to his gut that quickly turned into anger and only further drove the unspoken wedge that was developing between them.
It was enough, eventually, to convince him to leave the Prairie shores and head for Crossing Isle. Even as he strode quietly into the various mingling territories, Castillon didn’t have full intention of seeking anyone out for a conversation. If anything, this was just a way to keep Zevulun off him for not getting away more.
Then he caught a familiar scent on the breeze and came to a hard stop. Hirka… Everything that had been rather relaxed about him before was gone; he was on quick alert with his black-lined ears swiveling, trying to catch her direction and his dark nostrils flared and quivering, taking in more and more of her. He ached… but despite having narrowed down the way he’d need to go to potentially see her again, Castillon found himself rooted where he was standing.
Would she even want to see him? He could remember her anger when he’d chosen to spend those weeks away from her in the Lagoon with Aura… and unfortunately, Castillon was too young and shortsighted to understand why she had been so enraged with him. Too, when he’d returned as promised, he’d found her gone… surely she would only be angry to see him again, wouldn’t she?
But, prisoner to his heart much like his father, Castillon found he couldn’t hold himself away. He turned to follow the scent, dropping his head here and there to rub his muzzle along something she must’ve brushed. Once he finally spotted her in the distance he again came to a stop, a slower one this time, not quite as dramatic, and paused before lifting his nose into the air and calling out to her. Would she invite him close? Come to him? Or would she turn her ears back and warn him away from her?
whoever makes my baby cry is gonna lose some teeth tonight
stallion ∙ mutt ∙ zevulun x riesling ∙ buckskin snowcap ∙ 15.3 hands