It was a beautiful day. Sun shining, breeze making the longer stalks of plainsgrass sway. Clouds scudding by overhead in a very blue sky. Birds chased one another in circles. There was no scent of danger or bad weather to come in the air. It was the perfect day to be out and about.
Which was why Cristobal was here, warming himself, stretching his legs, taking it all in. Days like these made him eager to run, to stretch his legs and get his blood flowing. He'd outgrown bucking and twisting, kicking up his hooves and shadow-fighting nothing just for the heck of it, but he could still do an elegant, extended trot, or break into a mad gallop for that stand of trees before skidding to a stop, wheeling and...
Putting his foot down squarely on a rock he hadn't seen as he thundered by.
The sound he made, high-pitched and pained was certainly not dignified. Nor was following it up by a string of low, muttered words as he paced in a circle, not putting much weight on his suddenly-throbbing foot at all. Round and around he went until, on one turn, he spotted the mare watching...and stopped.
Perfect. How long had she been there? How much had she seen? Sucking in a breath and putting his foot down carefully, he lifted his head and summoned up his best smile. "Hello, bella. Come to get warm in the sun?
