Thread: Bonding WHO: Van & Ewan Carlyle WHEN: Saturday night WHERE: The loch
White steam puffed in a cloud out of velvety black nostrils as the young kelpie snorted. Distantly, he could hear the nicker of another like him, drawing closer, and the colt answered with a whinny. This was new, all new, to Van. Having another like him out at night, past curfew, skirting the edges of the lake where chunks of ice floated and winter ebbed and flowed from hard freeze to thaw.
The black horse tossed his mane and shook his whole body, tail twitching and snapping at the air. Hard midnight hooves pawed at the ice, crushing the top crust to make a path out to the middle, where the ice had not yet been able to reach. Another snort and the colt lifted his head with a start, wide black eyes staring into the trees. Ewan was out there somewhere. Van went completely still and listened, ears pricked for any sound, pivoting when he heard the hooves of his brother clatter along the rocks of the lake bed.
Excitement and boyish giddiness overcame Van at the sight of his brother in kelpie form. He whinnied again and tossed his head up and down. As Ewan came closer, Van reared back and beat the air with his hooves, showing off, before crashing back down into the ice. Then he went still and patiently waited for Ewan to investigate him. His withers shivered at the touch of another kelpie.
Playfulness overcoming him, Van's ears flattened against his head and the younger of the two colts stretched his sleek neck to take a bite out of the rump of the older one. Then he bolted off with a shrill whinny, daring Ewan to chase him.