Wayne yawned as he woke, only for his lids to open to a slant of brightness let in by one of his pack mates exiting the tent. He startled then, his muscular body jolting as he rocked to his feet and looked around for his jeans. It was rare that he woke any later than dawn, used to the long days of working and riding from his youth. Early risers got more work done, and even though the days were lengthening through the month, there was precious little time to get things accomplished. Stumbling into his jeans, running a hand through his messy, dull yellow hair, he tried to appear as if he hadn’t just woken.
It took him a little while to realize where he was and to register the fact that Dixie-May wasn’t in the vicinity. Remembering the festival suddenly, he broke into a grin and shook his head at himself. Of course the enthusiastic young woman would be eager to head out among the stalls and see what was up for trade and what activities were taking part in the other pack tents. Picking his cowboy hat off the ground, he slapped it on his head and walked out into the bright winter day to the smells of cooking and the sounds of chatter.
Brown eyes glanced heavenward to note that the sun wasn’t quite at its zenith; at least he could say he hadn’t slept in past noon. Glancing around at the bodies running to and fro, some gossiping with old friends from other packs, some dragging a comrade along to see something especially interesting, he wondered where his first stop should be. All too quickly the idea of actually deciding where to go overwhelmed him, and instead he meandered through the crowd toward the public corral that was closest to Casa di Cavalieri’s tent.
The young man reached the fence and leaned on it, grinning as he watched the horses socializing, most of them just as eager as their owners to meet new faces. Many of the mounts he recognized as those of their own pack, and when Fern caught his eye and whinnied at him, he laughed and hopped over into the corral to reach her side. The others wandered over to him, too, and he grinned and rubbed their muzzles and carefully greeted those he did not know. On the other side of the pen, a couple of stallions were having a spat over dominance, but the display was short-lived when they too noticed the wolfdog in their midst; one flattened its ears and walked away while the other pranced over to him eagerly.
Trust Wayne to abandon a booming party for the chance to meet some horses.
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