06-10-2017, 01:44 PM
Zhenga didn't mind affection, but it depended on who it was coming from. And, while the twin with wings seemed friendly enough, the filly hadn't really had any physical contact with any horse. The exceptions to this included her dam, Raxa, along with Raxa's friend, Anahi, and Anahi's daughter, Eiria, though the latter two had figured out Zhenga's quirks and avoided contact with with her when they could tell she didn't want it.
But now, without warning, here comes the twin with wings, stretching one of them over her body as if he was giving her a hug. As it was, restraining herself from lashing out with her front hooves and teeth took all of Zhenga's willpower. Instead, with an uneasy smile, the filly sidestepped out from under Kharon's wing, but luckily, since the colt was already walking away, he hadn't seemed to notice.
In a different life, Zhenga might not have minded such a gesture. But, true to her heritage, the filly had inherited more from her dam than just looks. Raxa's upbringing had caused a hesitance of physical contact within the mare, Zhenga not included after she was born. Raxa provided what affection she could for the filly, but found it somewhat difficult since, despite being a natural mother, showing affection didn't come easy. Zhenga didn't blame Raxa for that; she couldn't, because it wasn't Raxa's fault. It was her upbringing, something the mare couldn't control as she'd only been a filly at the time.
Thankful that the colt didn't notice Zhenga's reluctance for a hug, the roan filly trotted after the siblings to catch up. The ground, a short ways up the slope the trio were now traveling on, started giving way to the lush green grass Ischia was known for, along with its sandy beaches of course. Kharon's hoof slipped at one point, but the colt quickly recovered and warned the two fillies to be careful.
Zhenga wasn't as surefooted as Anahi's family, but the filly definitely got her dad's help on this one. As if she'd been walking on slippery grass like this her whole life, the filly made it up the incline with hardly any troubles. She gave a happy smile when Kharon looked back, his pride beaming before the trio of young horses continued deeper into Ischia's territory.
As they walked, Kharon talked a little about the horses that currently lived here. His own family included, there was also the Queen and her family, some horse called the 'dragon prince', a bone-man (Zhenga had no clue what that meant), and a mare named Luster (at least, Zhenga assumed it was a mare; she didn't recognize the name). Kharon warned Zhenga of the bone-man and how dangerous he could be, along with encouraging her to stay here in Ischia if she liked it.
And so far, Zhenga was. Though her ears were picking up what most of the colt was talking about, her eyes wandered all over the place, taking in the wonders of Ischia's tropical forest. There wasn't a lot of wildlife here, save for a couple birds she saw flying among the thick canopy tops of the trees. The forest was quiet and melodic, with a soothing sound that brought a chill to the roan filly's bones. The temperature was also quite nice; not too humid, but hot enough here in the forest that it'd be a relief to get out in the sunlight again.
Kharon paused ahead of the two fillies, but Zhenga was so absorbed in everything else that she almost ran into him. The only reason she didn't was because she stepped on a small rock that caused her to slightly step off balance; the filly had to focus to recover herself. And that helped her see that Kharon was no longer walking, instead standing calmly next to his sibling and looking out over the clearing they'd arrived at.
Zhenga thought the beaches were amazing, but this was something else entirely. Stretching out before them was a large expanse of meadow grass, its lush coloring not far from the shades of the leaves on the trees bordering the young horses and the meadow. The blades swayed in the light breeze grazing over the meadow, causing the grass to glitter in the sunlight. Patches of flowers sprouted out from various areas, all a variety of colors from bright pink to fire orange to deep ocean blue. She even spotted a couple purple ones, reminding her of the twin's odd-colored paint coats.
Kharon left the fillies and lowered his body to the ground. He proceeded to roll a couple of times, seeming to enjoy himself before lifting his head and looking back up at the fillies. He asked Zhenga if she liked it, but the filly couldn't bring herself to verbally express her opinion.
For instead, the instincts of a runner burned inside her like the orange-colored flowers. She hardly glanced at the twins before taking off at a canter, letting out a gleeful whinny as she ran a couple yards away from them. She slid to a stop, throwing her weight back and rearing up onto her hind legs. She thrashed out with her hooves, the muscles in her hindquarters taut as she slowed her coming back to the ground to avoid hurting herself.
Zhenga's leg muscles coiled, preparing for her to take off again. Whipping around like a snake, she took off back toward the twins this time, knowing it wouldn't be safe to venture too far until she'd been accepted as a kingdom member. A couple feet away from the twins, Zhenga slowed her pace to a trot, before quickly folding in her knees and dropping to the ground, shifting her weight so she'd end up on her back.
The filly couldn't help it; she felt like a foal again, running free at her dam's side and just enjoying herself. With her legs folded in, the filly rolled on the grass, loving the feeling of the soft meadow against the fur on her back. It just felt so comfortable, not like the rougher grasses she sometimes rolled in back in Sylva. Of course, it depended on where you were in the kingdom, since Sylva had some nice rolling spots too.
But nothing like this, not at all. When she was done rolling, Zhenga remained laying on her side, letting out a peaceful sigh and glancing up at the other filly with them.
"Come on," she told Kylin, "this feels great."
But now, without warning, here comes the twin with wings, stretching one of them over her body as if he was giving her a hug. As it was, restraining herself from lashing out with her front hooves and teeth took all of Zhenga's willpower. Instead, with an uneasy smile, the filly sidestepped out from under Kharon's wing, but luckily, since the colt was already walking away, he hadn't seemed to notice.
In a different life, Zhenga might not have minded such a gesture. But, true to her heritage, the filly had inherited more from her dam than just looks. Raxa's upbringing had caused a hesitance of physical contact within the mare, Zhenga not included after she was born. Raxa provided what affection she could for the filly, but found it somewhat difficult since, despite being a natural mother, showing affection didn't come easy. Zhenga didn't blame Raxa for that; she couldn't, because it wasn't Raxa's fault. It was her upbringing, something the mare couldn't control as she'd only been a filly at the time.
Thankful that the colt didn't notice Zhenga's reluctance for a hug, the roan filly trotted after the siblings to catch up. The ground, a short ways up the slope the trio were now traveling on, started giving way to the lush green grass Ischia was known for, along with its sandy beaches of course. Kharon's hoof slipped at one point, but the colt quickly recovered and warned the two fillies to be careful.
Zhenga wasn't as surefooted as Anahi's family, but the filly definitely got her dad's help on this one. As if she'd been walking on slippery grass like this her whole life, the filly made it up the incline with hardly any troubles. She gave a happy smile when Kharon looked back, his pride beaming before the trio of young horses continued deeper into Ischia's territory.
As they walked, Kharon talked a little about the horses that currently lived here. His own family included, there was also the Queen and her family, some horse called the 'dragon prince', a bone-man (Zhenga had no clue what that meant), and a mare named Luster (at least, Zhenga assumed it was a mare; she didn't recognize the name). Kharon warned Zhenga of the bone-man and how dangerous he could be, along with encouraging her to stay here in Ischia if she liked it.
And so far, Zhenga was. Though her ears were picking up what most of the colt was talking about, her eyes wandered all over the place, taking in the wonders of Ischia's tropical forest. There wasn't a lot of wildlife here, save for a couple birds she saw flying among the thick canopy tops of the trees. The forest was quiet and melodic, with a soothing sound that brought a chill to the roan filly's bones. The temperature was also quite nice; not too humid, but hot enough here in the forest that it'd be a relief to get out in the sunlight again.
Kharon paused ahead of the two fillies, but Zhenga was so absorbed in everything else that she almost ran into him. The only reason she didn't was because she stepped on a small rock that caused her to slightly step off balance; the filly had to focus to recover herself. And that helped her see that Kharon was no longer walking, instead standing calmly next to his sibling and looking out over the clearing they'd arrived at.
Zhenga thought the beaches were amazing, but this was something else entirely. Stretching out before them was a large expanse of meadow grass, its lush coloring not far from the shades of the leaves on the trees bordering the young horses and the meadow. The blades swayed in the light breeze grazing over the meadow, causing the grass to glitter in the sunlight. Patches of flowers sprouted out from various areas, all a variety of colors from bright pink to fire orange to deep ocean blue. She even spotted a couple purple ones, reminding her of the twin's odd-colored paint coats.
Kharon left the fillies and lowered his body to the ground. He proceeded to roll a couple of times, seeming to enjoy himself before lifting his head and looking back up at the fillies. He asked Zhenga if she liked it, but the filly couldn't bring herself to verbally express her opinion.
For instead, the instincts of a runner burned inside her like the orange-colored flowers. She hardly glanced at the twins before taking off at a canter, letting out a gleeful whinny as she ran a couple yards away from them. She slid to a stop, throwing her weight back and rearing up onto her hind legs. She thrashed out with her hooves, the muscles in her hindquarters taut as she slowed her coming back to the ground to avoid hurting herself.
Zhenga's leg muscles coiled, preparing for her to take off again. Whipping around like a snake, she took off back toward the twins this time, knowing it wouldn't be safe to venture too far until she'd been accepted as a kingdom member. A couple feet away from the twins, Zhenga slowed her pace to a trot, before quickly folding in her knees and dropping to the ground, shifting her weight so she'd end up on her back.
The filly couldn't help it; she felt like a foal again, running free at her dam's side and just enjoying herself. With her legs folded in, the filly rolled on the grass, loving the feeling of the soft meadow against the fur on her back. It just felt so comfortable, not like the rougher grasses she sometimes rolled in back in Sylva. Of course, it depended on where you were in the kingdom, since Sylva had some nice rolling spots too.
But nothing like this, not at all. When she was done rolling, Zhenga remained laying on her side, letting out a peaceful sigh and glancing up at the other filly with them.
"Come on," she told Kylin, "this feels great."