Siblings / Ebony-Tobias [Private]

The rising sun woke the young colt gently, his red eyes blinking in the early morning light. He snuffled, trying to rid his nose of the itch that the new grass shoots had left. Lifting his head he looked around. Where was - oh. Mother. She stood not far away, her back to him and the foal lying next to him. But he knew she was listening - keeping track of their every move. He huffed, eye brows furrowing with a disdain that was far advanced for his young age. One day soon he felt that he would be able to leave his mother's side, never to depend on her again. But until then...

He turned his head back, looking at the foal mumbling in her sleep. A genuine smile softened his face. His older sister - adopted or not - was the only foal he knew that had never picked on him. Though she held a higher regard for Bat-Sheva than Tobias would have preferred, he was still grateful for Ebony's presence.

Smiling mischievously he gently bit one of her large ears. "If you don't wake up you'll never catch any butterflies. Come on, it's going to be a nice day!"

"You're always dreaming," he teased. Stretching his thin, long legs in front of him, he shifted away from Ebony and pulled himself to his hooves. His knees shook slightly for the first few seconds as his muscles adjusted. It was, besides his small frame, the only remaining effect of the illness that had almost claimed his young life. The colt ignored it however, instead casting a sly glance toward his mother.

Tobias grinned impishly, looking down at Ebony and speaking quietly. "Come on - let's go explore! I'm sure mother won't mind." He hoped the mule foal would follow. She obeyed Bat-Sheva's every command, and would not leave her side if it meant displeasing her, but perhaps she would believe him. If he could escape his mother's watchful eye just for the day he'd be happy, but he knew he couldn't go alone. If he left Ebony behind he was sure she would tell Bat-Sheva where he had gone, thinking she was doing the right thing.

He shook himself, trying to loosen his muscles. Falling slightly the youngling caught himself, then took a few bouncing jumps to the side as his childish energy began to leak to the surface. Jerking his head at Ebony he asked, "You coming, or not?"

Pleased, Toby watched as Ebony judged her choices, but he had no doubts about which she would choose. By now he knew how to push each of his sister's buttons - for better or worse. The colt fidgeted excitedly as the mule got up to follow him.

He looked around, eyes sparkling as they scanned the world around them. The sun was quickly warming up the air, and the sky was blue and clear. The world seemed perfectly clear in that moment, and he felt as if they could do anything. He began to walk, not really sure where he was leading them to, listening to his sister list off a bunch of foal games. "Maybe we'll wrestle in a little bit," he paused looking over his shoulder at Bat-Sheva. "When mom is out of sight." If he didn't distract Ebony she might object to straying too far from the mare. He really wanted to explore, but he wanted to get them away from the herd first...

"TAG, you're it!" he called out suddenly, bumping his shoulder into Ebony's before bounding away. He ran this way and that, winding around mares and stallion that would briefly turn their heads to watch. Though he was fast for his age she was still older, and therefore a bit steadier on her feet. They were well matched, and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep her off his tail for long. But he would play this little game for a while before leading her away.

His still childish mind couldn't help but get caught up in the game. The small colt squealed excitedly at the quick, sudden nip on his side. Instinctively he kicked out, but careful not to let his flying hooves catch his sister. Adrenaline was pumping through him, and he began a series of playful bucks before turning to go after Ebony. She'd gotten a good head start. Catching up would take some work. Flattening his ears and grinning at the challenge, he charged forward, eyes locked on the mule foal. Trying to take the shortest route to her he came close to running into several horses, each of them turning to fuss at him or chance a warning bite. But the appaloosa ignored them, focused on catching the other.

Legs churning he started to gain on her. When he was just a length away he gathered his legs beneath himself and leaped. The timing was right, and he landed just next to Ebony's hindquarters. Before she could zip past again he landed his own nip. "Tag!" He laughed joyfully. While he did enjoy being alone or watching the stallions train, there was nothing quite like playing with his adopted sister. She was perhaps the only one that could truly make him smile.

But his original plan came back to mind, and he turned away from Ebony and from the herd. Hopefully she was distracted enough now that he could lead her off. Eyes scanning about as he ran he tried to pick a destination. The Summer Fields had little to truly explore. No city ruins, no large forests. The Riddle Mountains could be seen on the horizon, but they were certainly too far away for two foals to reach in a day. The lush expanse was bounded by the sea, however. It wasn't often that they spent time on the beaches, so he knew little about them. It would be an adventure for sure! His red eyes set upon the sparkling waters in the distance. Turning his head back to find Ebony, he called teasingly, "Come on, slow-poke!"

As they pulled further and further from the herd, Toby managing to stay just ahead of his sister, he realized his plan was working. This encouraged him to run even faster, and before he knew it his hooves were sinking into the soft sand dunes between the grass and shore. It slowed him down considerably, but with Ebony's shout behind him he knew he didn't have to worry about her tagging him. They were here, and she wouldn't dare leave without him. Now they could explore!

The worry in her voice briefly made him feel guilty. He didn't particularly like to deceive Ebony - she was so innocent - but it was the only way to get her to do anything exciting! And besides, he laughed as she began to follow the crab, she was never too worried for long. "Isn't the beach amazing?!" he called to her, making sure to keep her from thinking about how far away there were from the herd. She was sure to keep herself busy, though, with all of the shells and small creatures along the beach.

Toby, swishing his tail happily, stepped towards the shoreline. He looked out over the ocean, sparkling ahead of him seemingly to infinity. "I wonder what's out there," he said to no one in particular. Stepping into the water, he allowed the cold water to splash about his hooves. Looking over his shoulder he searched for Ebony, seeing what she might have gotten into.