09-12-2017, 11:59 PM
Zhenga did not fail to miss the bashful look Ivar adopted when she spoke of the other mare, and outright laughed at the redness spreading on his cheeks. Oh this would provide sweet blackmail material for years to come; she'd never seen the young stallion show this kind of emotion before. She'd only ever seen the embarrassed type you get when being compared to an older sibling or your parents. Zhenga had seen that once or twice when Anahi and Eiria would bring up Sirana in a conversation.
The roan filly was still busy laughing, good-naturedly of course, when Ivar nudged her in the shoulder with his neck. Feeling the muscles underneath the skin as he did so, Zhenga turned to look at him, taking in the stallion's appearance more carefully now. She could see why that mare definitely thought of him as more than a friend; he'd far outgrown the 'ugly duckling' category he'd been placed under by others when he was a colt.
Ivar caught Zhenga's gaze when she looked at him, speaking in a hesitant tone about her inquiry to accompany him on his trip to Loess. At first, Zhenga thought he was going to remind her he was going there to visit someone special, and she might be in the way of things. Zhenga would've just told him that she'd spend her own time there, wandering around and exploring the kingdom while Ivar hung out with his own special friend.
But it was the next few words that left his mouth which had Zhenga staring at him wide-eyed and slack-jawed. For a moment, her mind had trouble processing the (playful) insult Ivar threw hew way before the stallion's fading hoofbeats drew her back out. Zhenga gave him a hard look, somewhat offended by his comment, but knew it was nothing more than in good fun.
That was one thing Zhenga had not inherited from her dam; she knew when to take a joke.
Rearing up on her hind legs, lashing out with her front and letting out a challenging call, Zhenga raced after her foal hood friends, her hooves pounding over the earth as she strove to catch up to him. Though Ivar was taller and had longer limbs, Zhenga had been trained her whole life on how to use her more compact frame to her advantage. Even if it may not look it, the filly was gifted with speed, which meant that Ivar might have a bigger challenge despite the roan's shorter stature.
The two continued their race over the grassy field, heading in the direction of the mountains that lined the coast in the north. Zhenga was excited to see their sheer size, for she had never been up that way before. For their race, Zhenga was content to gallop behind Ivar, but finally decided she should let him have it.
Putting on a burst of speed, her legs a mere blur as they propelled her over the ground, Zhenga started moving faster and catching up with her friend. It did take longer than normal thanks to Ivar's growth spurt, but in time, Zhenga finally caught up to him. The roan ran alongside the piebald colt for some strides, shooting him a playful smirk before firing back with a challenge.
"Won't be much of a race with me leading the way!" she shouted over her own shoulder as she pulled ahead by a horse length.
The roan filly was still busy laughing, good-naturedly of course, when Ivar nudged her in the shoulder with his neck. Feeling the muscles underneath the skin as he did so, Zhenga turned to look at him, taking in the stallion's appearance more carefully now. She could see why that mare definitely thought of him as more than a friend; he'd far outgrown the 'ugly duckling' category he'd been placed under by others when he was a colt.
Ivar caught Zhenga's gaze when she looked at him, speaking in a hesitant tone about her inquiry to accompany him on his trip to Loess. At first, Zhenga thought he was going to remind her he was going there to visit someone special, and she might be in the way of things. Zhenga would've just told him that she'd spend her own time there, wandering around and exploring the kingdom while Ivar hung out with his own special friend.
But it was the next few words that left his mouth which had Zhenga staring at him wide-eyed and slack-jawed. For a moment, her mind had trouble processing the (playful) insult Ivar threw hew way before the stallion's fading hoofbeats drew her back out. Zhenga gave him a hard look, somewhat offended by his comment, but knew it was nothing more than in good fun.
That was one thing Zhenga had not inherited from her dam; she knew when to take a joke.
Rearing up on her hind legs, lashing out with her front and letting out a challenging call, Zhenga raced after her foal hood friends, her hooves pounding over the earth as she strove to catch up to him. Though Ivar was taller and had longer limbs, Zhenga had been trained her whole life on how to use her more compact frame to her advantage. Even if it may not look it, the filly was gifted with speed, which meant that Ivar might have a bigger challenge despite the roan's shorter stature.
The two continued their race over the grassy field, heading in the direction of the mountains that lined the coast in the north. Zhenga was excited to see their sheer size, for she had never been up that way before. For their race, Zhenga was content to gallop behind Ivar, but finally decided she should let him have it.
Putting on a burst of speed, her legs a mere blur as they propelled her over the ground, Zhenga started moving faster and catching up with her friend. It did take longer than normal thanks to Ivar's growth spurt, but in time, Zhenga finally caught up to him. The roan ran alongside the piebald colt for some strides, shooting him a playful smirk before firing back with a challenge.
"Won't be much of a race with me leading the way!" she shouted over her own shoulder as she pulled ahead by a horse length.