SSWM Word Count :: 388
His father's advice was heeded with erect ears and an expression of concentration, though the real value in his words went over the boy's blonde head. The brief solemnity in the King's face as well as the sheer fact that the King was speaking at all made the pup realize that this was important, however, and he nodded lightly. He saw no reason not to enjoy being young, though soon he would be all too ready to grow up and become his own person as was the way of adolescents. Right now, there was nothing in the world forcing him to mature before his time, other than a parent that he adored and dreams of ruling the Kingdom just like his daddy.
Yipping, Skoll ran around the creamy, dark-masked dog once more before Vigilante loped toward the stables. His paws were still too big for the rest of him, and he stumbled over himself when he went too fast, but where the boy lacked in grace and speed he made up for in endurance. He trotted with the ease of wolf ancestors tailing sick prey, his developing muscles already evident though they were shielded with baby fat and puppy fluff.
Soon, the racetrack and stables came into view. With a burst of energy the boy scrambled ahead of his father, only to stop short when he saw the first of the majestic creatures behind a stall door. The equine turned its ears toward him curiously, and Skoll found himself at a sudden loss for what to do. He was certainly small enough to sneak under one of the stalls, but after many lectures on the trampling effect of hooves, he knew that wasn't a good idea. But there wasn't really any way for him to get a better look at the horses from this height, unless his father picked him up or they found one of the beasts out being exercised or grazing.
"Can you ride a horse, Daddy?" Skoll questioned suddenly, glancing over his shoulder. He knew that he saw Alder, the masked Marshall all the time with the horses, but not his father. That gave him brief pause before he asked the next question more quietly; surely the fact that Vigilante knew everything might make up for his lack of familiarity with the mounts. "Do you know their names?"
Image courtesy of Frank Wuestefeld @ flickr; Table by the Mentors!
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