Snips and Snails and Puppy-dogs' tails | [Private]

Leif listened intently to his new friend as he told him what he did in his herd. The foals were mostly around his age in his own, but it was sometimes difficult to play: one being blind and the other a few years older than himself. But he loved them both just the same. He thoroughly enjoyed leading Dawne by the red scarf she worn around her neck, helping to take her on his little adventures. And Kale was a bunch of fun! They'd always find really cool bugs and animals to look at, and some times they raced or played hide-and-seek. Life would certainly be incredibly boring if he didn't have his friends to play with, and he loved to make new ones too! "Hide-and-seek is really fun! I play that sometimes with my friends." Leif said, wagging his tail excitedly at the thought of all of the fun games he had learned over his short time growing up in the Exile herd. Leif's brows narrowed though when Icarus mentioned being mean to fillies. Why would they pick on them? "Why'd you guys do that? Fillies aren't bad. One of my best friends is a girl." Leif was utterly befuddled at the thought of being purposefully mean to someone. His father and mother had always told him to be nice and polite, and picking on someone didn't sound like lot of fun.

The grey colt's ears swiveled around toward the river as Icarus pointed toward a small, dark creature near the water. A wide grin pulled back his lips, revealing pearly white teeth at the sight of the water dweller. "A waterdog!! We found one!" He shouted excitedly, nearly jumping up and down from the joy of finding what they had come for. When the waterdog flopped back into the water, Leif's face fell slightly, and he leaned over the bank, peering into the water to see if he could still see it. "Come back! We just wanna play!" Leif called after the otter-like creature. His blue eyes scanned the water, looking for any signs of where it might have gone. Another splash made his head snap up. "There it is!" Leif said, pointing with his muzzle to the furry creature swimming nearby. Its movements were lithe in the water as it swirled around, twisting it's body and playing in the river. Leif smiled happily, watching the waterdog as it swam. "I wish I could swim like that. That'd be so much fun! Have you ever seen one them before?" He asked Icarus, glancing over at the younger colt for a moment before looking back at the playing creature.

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Leif was so confused about this new information his friend had given them, not understanding that all herds weren't like his own. This was so odd to hear that colts were singling out fillies to tease and be mean to, not that he didn't do his fair share of teasing, but it was all friendly. He'd never seen someone be really mean to someone on purpose... aside from the horses that were fighting during the war though. That had been the most scared he had been in his entire life. Leif's ears perked up as Icarus's voice brought him back to the present, and his blue eyes looked down at the younger colt, oblivious to the embarrassment on his friend's face. "That's good. My mama and papa taught me to be nice too. Plus, I'd rather have more horses to play with instead of them not liking me. Then I have more foals to play with." Leif said, giving Icarus a toothy grin.

The water dog paddled through the water a safe distance from the onlooking colts. Its shorter legs carried it through the clear water with ease as it ducked underneath the surface only to resurface a short distance away. It almost looked as though the creature was teasing them with its obviously superior swimming skills. "Yeah, I've only seen a waterdog a couple of times, and my mama and papa bring me a lot. I guess they're pretty rare." Leif said in awe of the swimming creature in front of them. Watching it swim was so incredible! "I know right? It does look like it's flying in the water."

Leif turned back to speak to Icarus and saw the other colt walking toward the river, a determined expression on his face. His brows narrowed in slight concern, wondering what Icarus could be doing before following after him. His legs sloshed around in the cool water, creating ripples across the calm surface. The grey foal hurried along, catching up to the roan colt before he got too far away. "You're gonna try and swim again? Okay!" Leif exclaimed, excited to see if Icarus would be able to swim this time. He trudged further into the river, feeling the ground beneath him give away as he began paddling his legs to carry himself along. "Come on! Let's swim like that waterdog! I'll push you back like last time if you need help."

Word Count: 402