SSWM Word Count :: 388
A large paw reached out to swat at the blonde child, who growled ferociously and, even as he was rolled over by the gentle blow, flailed his own pale paws in retaliation. He wriggled on his back in the snowy grass, tail thumping on the ground; the wagging only increased in intensity and tempo when the King commended him for his bravery, spraying snow everywhere. It meant a ton to the small child; he could have burst with delight.
“I try be like you,” Skoll explained, grinning from ear to ear. He would be boasting to anyone else to his father, of course, but Vigilante had a lot of influence on the boy despite not constantly being around. “But not that scary,” the boy went on, tipping his chin down in a parody of modesty. “No monsters or ghosts or…nothin’.” He almost extended the list, adding pirates and dragons and AniWayans to boot, but he didn’t think that it would be smart to bring in that last one. Not after “Lady Lohi” visited seeking friendship and Ayita had stressed that the princes had to treat her like an honored guest.
The King waved his royal tail, and Skoll was nudged up onto his paws. His green eyes widened at the question, and his paws began to knead against the ground as he contemplated what to do. There was so much! He was a little nervous about suggesting something that would be boring or would waste his father’s time, though Vigilante had never given him reason to be worried about something like that. He tried to think of all he’d explored, both under adult supervision and without, though those times would be kept secret. Most of the time a pack member found him before he got in trouble, at least.
“Go see horses?” Skoll Haskel blurted suddenly. He hadn’t been able to investigate the stables as thoroughly as he would’ve liked; most of his guardians were worried about the rambunctious pup getting trampled to death. But he’d seen the horses going with their riders around the territory, and the boy was extremely curious about them. They always looked strong and fast, and he liked to pretend he was a horse sometimes so he could gallop tirelessly across the land. Unfortunately, he was a little too small for that yet.
Image courtesy of Frank Wuestefeld @ flickr; Table by the Mentors!
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