Danicio stood with his head raised high, almost as though he thought it made him look taller than it really was. There was a sense of pride about the cub; he peered up at Salvatore with an almost knowing, cheeky grin. The look on the cub’s face surprised Salvatore somewhat and the non-spectral colored stallion raised a ‘brow’ in return. The cub nudged his ‘masters’ leg with his damp, ice blue nose, motioning for the tinted stallion to focus his attention elsewhere. “Well, I’ll call you… Salvatore!” Good, good. Being called Salvatore was good, as that was his name – well, part of it. But it was such a drag having others address him by his full name. With a tilt of his head and a curious gleam in his pinkish purple eyes he watched as the skeletal marked girl took a few steps, almost as though she was about to circle him like she was the predator and he was the prey. ‘You’re the predator, you are, you are!’ a small voice, right at the back of his mind cried out, it echoed for a moment that lapsed into silence. Salvatore wrinkled his nose slightly at this.

He was no predator! He didn’t his father’s stubbornness, he didn’t put up a cold exterior and bury his emotions, he didn’t dive into sudden mood swings that could either last seconds or minutes like his father, he didn’t make himself heard and known, nor was he sharp tongued like his sister. ‘Calypso… I wonder if she has a nickname?’ as she spoke of her markings he took the opportunity to look at them again, they were still intriguing as ever. He wondered what his parents, what his sister would make of this girl, would they like her? …. Probably not, his parents and his sister weren’t the type to go around making friends. But Salvatore was completely different to them all, in-fact, he couldn’t help but feel guilty the way he was, he sometimes felt ashamed of the way he was, part of him wanted to have mood swings, part of him wanted to bury his emotions and put up a cold front, be stubborn as a mule and make himself known! But… that just wasn’t him. He was a laid back, happy go lucky chap who still hadn’t mastered the art of socializing. He’d only really ever had the company of Danicio as a child. Kinda sad if you think about it… your only friend was made up and didn’t even exist. He almost pouted at this thought, like a boy whose mother had just scolded them for trying to sneak hidden candy from the cupboard. Ears swivelled and then pricked and his eyes darted to meet the girl’s own eyes which were a soft, pretty hazel color. What brought him out here this chilly night? Well… His mind and brain furiously began searching for an answer, but none came.

It would be rude to shrug, rude to say ‘I dunno’ so he stuck up, “Nothing really, I s’ppose I just felt like… taking a stroll?” ‘Was that a good enough answer? She’ll believe me, won’t she? She doesn’t think I’m some stalker creep, does she? I hope not… I’m not a stalker. She doesn’t mind that I’m talking to her, does she? Maybe she was sleeping and I disturbed her sleep… What if she suddenly turns vicious on me?’ After several moments of dwelling this over he actually found those thoughts pretty amusing, he was more than sure now that she was no threat, he was certain of that now as he watched her dancing right there in-front of him, the moon light bathing her pearly grey and violet coat. Danicio blinked and peered up at his ‘master’ again, contemplating what to do or say, but nothing came to mind so he remained silent, not sure how to push Salvatore into a deeper, more meaningful conversation. Salvatore didn’t particularly like the silence that wrapped round him like a thin, itchy blanket, he shuddered slightly and he jumped a little as he felt Calypso’s muzzle nudge against his neck.

The touch was brief but it startled him so, he’d never had contact with anyone but his family. His eyes widened, but only for a moment. He relaxed quickly and grinned in response. “So… d’you have a nickname? Like… Cal or… Caly?” he quizzed her, eager to know this now as he couldn’t seem to get his tongue around the name. ‘Cal… yp… sooo… Its not that hard, really… is it? Calyp… so?’ he spent perhaps a little too long dwelling it over and before he knew it the silence had wrapped around his shoulders again. He threw up his head and swished his purple hair almost looking childishly giddy at that moment. “What d’you do for… entertainment?” ‘I’m pretty sure she doesn’t play tag with an imaginary tiger cub, that’s for sure…’