dark side of the morning; Kylin

[Ivar]

i'll use you as a makeshift gauge
of how much to give and how much to take

The pull of the water is undeniable, but it is not irresistible. Ivar has felt it as long as he had existed. His first memory is being cradled between his parents with the water only a few tempting feet away. So while he aches to beneath the water, he is willing to wait.

(patience. always patience)

She slips past him toward the water, calling him a gentleman. Ivar’s dark eyes crinkle in amusement, and as she reaches out to bump his shoulder with her muzzle, he shifts his weight to that side. She will likely brush against him more with that positioning, but Ivar does it without thinking. He doesn’t nip at her hip as she sinks into the water (he manages to catch and put a stop to that physical reaction). Kylin is a friend, not a bluegill to toy with.

(she would flee differently. a new type of chase. a challenge)

Ivar follows Kylin into the water, less hesitant about the temperature than she had been. He is eager to feel it around him, and he moves farther into the pool, far enough that he can dunk his head to the sandy soil at where his pale hooves touch the bottom of the spring. He brings his head back up quickly, the movement creating a momentary arch of falling water behind him. He shivers as they splatter along his dark back, and turns back to meet Kylin’s gaze with a grin.

“I like this spring.” He tells her. “But…” Now he feigns a frown, his head tilting in judgment despite the laughter that remains in his dark eyes. “That’s more of a wading than a swimming. You can’t be touching the bottom if it’s really swimming.”

The tobiano colt takes a few more steps out into the water, waiting until his hooves can barely scrape the sandy bottom. Though the crystal clarity of the water is deceptive, only his head and neck remain above the water.  “C’mon Kylin,” he says, the frown disappearing entirely as he bobs his pale head beneath the water to toss a bit of water in her direction with a laugh. “Let’s swim.”

IVAR