Prompt #4- Let it Snow; Friends in Fjellhov

Friends in Fjellhov 

As the young colt watched at what seemed to be the stars falling, the soft white powder crunched beneath his hooves; sending chills up his legs. His dark muzzle was a stark contrast against the icicles he inspected along the fenceline. Enamored by the crystalline structures, a slip against the iced dirt below brought Leviathan back to reality. 

Fjellhov Stud seemed to be quieter tonight. The first snow of winter fell across the land, and it was the first time the overo colt had seen it. There's a comfort in the powdered pillows of white surrounding him, like it's tied to his very soul. 

His mother, the bay mare comfortably settled in the run in the shed behind him, watched warmly as she understood that first snow feeling. It’s surreal, it’s exhilarating, and it's beautiful. 

Attie’s warm breath looked like an echo in the winter night, proof of the life flowing in his little body that this is real, and that this is something to be celebrated. Looking around, he examined his options, slightly overwhelmed with all the possibilities. Enough time passed to where the colt was covered in a thin veil of snow, a blanket from the world, he considered it. 

The tell-tale personality of the Loshenka kicked in, and in his blood he felt the horses before him call on him to play, to show off, to fully take in the winter for what it was. 

Breaking off into a playful gallop, his legs flailed around as the snow crunched and puffed beneath him. Clouds of white and imprinted trails marked his paths as he pranced around, whinnying into the night to anyone that would listen to him enjoy the world’s gifts. 

Leviathan's legs seemed to carry him faster than he could think, as he lost control and slid on smooth hooves right into a heaping pile of snow. A distant nicker from his mother managed to come through to the muffled ears of the colt, reminding him that he wasn't the only one in the paddock.

Shaking off the snow, he snorted into the night again, trying to reassure his mother that he still had his pride. Continuing in word, he trotted off and back towards the run in the shed. The smallest dusting of powder still stuck to him as he rubbed his face against the mare's neck. The warmth of the shed quickly melted the snow off of Leviathans back, and with the new moisture, he lay beside his mother again, seeking warmth. 

From the other side of the fence, the colt could see another horse in the distance. A small cherry colt with unique white markings frolicking in the snow. 

Leviathan watched from afar, mesmerized and intrigued at the calmer energy the neighboring colt brought in the night. 

Soon, he galloped to the fence and tried to play with him, whinnying and nickering; beckoning him to join in this wondrous joy. The cherry colt only caught on once hit with a gentle splash of snow, which he then turned to perk his ears at Leviathan and trot right up. 

Both colts' respective dam’s watched from afar, nickering to each other from across the fence at how amazing it was to watch their foals embrace the unknown weather and adore it as it was written in their breed. 

Little Leviathan discovered much more than he bargained for on this leap into the white, soft, unknown. The snow is cold at first, but his silky coat quickly adjusts his body temperature to keep him comfortable; his striking loshenka tail freezes up if he stands still for too long. But the most important thing was that, not only was the winter to be embraced, but it was best to do it with a friend, especially a new one.