⋅⋅───⋅⋅✦⋅⋅───⋅⋅
From out of the gloom a wraith materialized — no, not a wraith, Brax realized, the momentary jolt of alarm fading away like a quickly-dowsed fire. It was a stallion, a pale one, seasoned and with muscles rippling beneath his wet coat like seafoam. And he was walking straight toward Brax, with purpose. Brax froze, standing stiffly but not with any outright hostility, head high and ears pointed straight toward the stranger. His muscles clenched and his mind raced. Had he done something wrong? Accidentally strayed into someone's territory? Was his first interaction on this island to be one of violence?
The stranger seemed to confirm his suspicions with his first words — "Are you ready? — and Brax shifted his weight with an uneasy snort, tucking his head and pinning his ears to show that he was, in fact, ready. But it all came to nothing, for, in fact, the pale stallion evidently meant something else entirely.
After a quick nip to Brax's side, which drew a light squeal of indignation from him, he relaxed slightly, a quizzical expression wrinkling his features. The stranger's words were intriguing — hadn't Brax wanted an adventure, after all? — and something about his bold, easy manner somehow quelled any fear that had been lingering within Brax. He flared his nostrils, testing the air to learn more about this stranger, but the rain had washed any telltale information away, leaving behind only the typical earthy musk of wet stallion.
"Brotherhood?" Abraxas said, finding himself half-subconsiously dropping his voice to match the stallion's masculine swagger. The concept of brotherhood was foreign to Brax, who had passed by childhood with no siblings of his own, or even any real sense of camaraderie amongst other colts. He had always felt Other, an observer, his role as a rough-and-tumble male never quite sitting naturally on his shoulders. But here was this striking stranger evidently seeing something in him. Perhaps this was his chance to make it all right.
"Tell me more, then, Brother." He flashed a grin to match the stallion's own.