12-15-2020, 09:07 PM
There is a flash of fear on the other boy’s face, quick to fade, but Volos still catches it.
Why is he afraid? Is there indeed a three-headed bear lumbering around in the darker woods near the Playground, ready to snatch unsuspecting colts if they venture too close? A part of him knows it must be something terrible like this, otherwise why would his mother have warned him ‘or else?’ This poor kid must have already had a run in with something that petrified him to warrant such a reaction. Volos supposes it is a fortunate thing that he has found him.
He’ll fight off any monsters that might appear.
A grin cements itself on his blue-grey lips when the black colt agrees to be his friend. So far, Volos has only had his sister, Nekane, to wrestle and spar and annoy to no end. He loves tugging on her gold and blue tail while helpfully informing her that one of her ears is bigger than the other. And while she’s good company most of the time, he longs to expand his horizons and meet all the world has to offer him. Maybe Cortex (as he soon learns his name) will be the first thread in the tapestry of faces he wishes to weave throughout his life. Maybe today is only the beginning.
He is so absorbed in finally seeing another boy his age that he completely misses the creek chortling and meandering through the thick grasses just behind his new friend. Growing up in Ischia, Volos is well-acquainted with water in many forms. And while it isn’t the powerful, playful ocean he is sometimes allowed to tip-toe into, he longs to test his boundaries here instead. Here, where there is no adult to neither rein him in nor teach him to be cautious and respect that which he does not know. The sound of moving water draws his gaze away from the other colt as he considers it.
“Wanna race? First one to the other side is a – “ he stops mid-turn back to Cortex just as he leaps at him. The boy has become a cat! Completely surprised, the grullo would have made an easy target if Cortex hadn’t stopped just ahead of him. Instead, Volos’s grin grows into a beaming smile that reaches his eyes and maybe hides the mischievous sparkle within them. Oho! Now the race will be fair. He shifts into his own familiar feline form. The orange and black fur spreads over his body and he feels his own claws digging into the sun-warm earth. Volos swats a paw gently at Cortex’s tawny cheek. And then he is off!
It isn’t a far distance to the banks of the brook, but he still enjoys the feel of his young muscles giving and taking with motion of the short exercise. He looks over his shoulder to see if his new buddy has joined in. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses – not to Volos – only that they are having fun! He takes a blind leap down into the water beyond the pebbled bank. It is a rocky landing, literally, and he winces as several stones catch between his paw pads. But the water is there just ahead of him. So close he can see tiny minnows weaving in and out of the current. It is so tempting to plunge ahead, but he had an unfair head start. He tilts his head to see if Cortex is beside him before forging ahead to the other side.
Why is he afraid? Is there indeed a three-headed bear lumbering around in the darker woods near the Playground, ready to snatch unsuspecting colts if they venture too close? A part of him knows it must be something terrible like this, otherwise why would his mother have warned him ‘or else?’ This poor kid must have already had a run in with something that petrified him to warrant such a reaction. Volos supposes it is a fortunate thing that he has found him.
He’ll fight off any monsters that might appear.
A grin cements itself on his blue-grey lips when the black colt agrees to be his friend. So far, Volos has only had his sister, Nekane, to wrestle and spar and annoy to no end. He loves tugging on her gold and blue tail while helpfully informing her that one of her ears is bigger than the other. And while she’s good company most of the time, he longs to expand his horizons and meet all the world has to offer him. Maybe Cortex (as he soon learns his name) will be the first thread in the tapestry of faces he wishes to weave throughout his life. Maybe today is only the beginning.
He is so absorbed in finally seeing another boy his age that he completely misses the creek chortling and meandering through the thick grasses just behind his new friend. Growing up in Ischia, Volos is well-acquainted with water in many forms. And while it isn’t the powerful, playful ocean he is sometimes allowed to tip-toe into, he longs to test his boundaries here instead. Here, where there is no adult to neither rein him in nor teach him to be cautious and respect that which he does not know. The sound of moving water draws his gaze away from the other colt as he considers it.
“Wanna race? First one to the other side is a – “ he stops mid-turn back to Cortex just as he leaps at him. The boy has become a cat! Completely surprised, the grullo would have made an easy target if Cortex hadn’t stopped just ahead of him. Instead, Volos’s grin grows into a beaming smile that reaches his eyes and maybe hides the mischievous sparkle within them. Oho! Now the race will be fair. He shifts into his own familiar feline form. The orange and black fur spreads over his body and he feels his own claws digging into the sun-warm earth. Volos swats a paw gently at Cortex’s tawny cheek. And then he is off!
It isn’t a far distance to the banks of the brook, but he still enjoys the feel of his young muscles giving and taking with motion of the short exercise. He looks over his shoulder to see if his new buddy has joined in. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses – not to Volos – only that they are having fun! He takes a blind leap down into the water beyond the pebbled bank. It is a rocky landing, literally, and he winces as several stones catch between his paw pads. But the water is there just ahead of him. So close he can see tiny minnows weaving in and out of the current. It is so tempting to plunge ahead, but he had an unfair head start. He tilts his head to see if Cortex is beside him before forging ahead to the other side.
V O L O S
. . . . .
@[Cortex]