It was a perfectly comfortable late summer day that saw the SilverShadow Band scattering, the family group breaking into various adventuring parties to explore their surroundings and enjoy themselves in the cooling weather. The sky was blue with puffy white clouds, sending scattering sunbeams to drip through the canopy into diffused dappled light over the forest paths. The wind in the trees sent the leaves whispering, and something about it prompted a certain sort of restlessness in many of the family. As such, some of the younger stallions went off to court their various partners or went strolling with their mates, while other experienced parties of the herd took charge of the foals and their adventuring.
As the Leader of the family band, Sibalto himself had delightedly taken charge of his two young fillies, leading them on stroll outside of the well-settled and somewhat tiresome herd territory. Though they were not in the heart of their range they were still in well-traveled lands that should be safe from greater threats like predatory animals and Shifters. The common lands had intrigue enough, and they were not far from the orchard that Alderfly had founded and brought back to flourishing. Hopefully an adventure to see their Aunt’s hidden world would be just the thing to lighten their spirits and burn off some energy, so they might all take a nap later on.
Capering and bucking with youthful exuberance, the spirited black filly shot ahead down the forest path, flailing her long legs joyously as she went. She lashed at the air and earth with gleaming black hooves, her red markings and the white stripe in her mane standing out sharply against the otherwise dappled-darkness of her coat. The silvery stallion striding along after her watched with amusement, rumbling affectionately when she spun and bolted back, abruptly deciding she was too far away from his reassuring presence and skidding to a halt just short of crashing into his chest.
“Papa, did you see? Did you see me?” Tsís'ná asked in her bright voice as she pressed her chin against his broad chest, grinning brightly up at him with sparkling charcoal eyes and cheerfully pitched forward ears. “I’m the fastest, right? Don’t you think I am?”
Before he could give a satisfactory answer she was rearing up and spinning away again, cantering along the path with her head up and her short tail flagging behind her. “Look! See!”
“You might just be the fastest, my Little Shadow,” Sibalto agreed with an affectionate rumble as he watched her bolt to and fro. “Faster even than Imri when he was your age, perhaps.”
“I knew it!” Tsís'ná giggled as she bolted back to him, her voice high and sweet and joyous. “Argento never wants to race with me, I bet it’s because he’s afraid to lose. Is there a wide open path somewhere along the way, Papa? Can we race?”
Tsís'ná Wordcounter: 451
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