It Came Upon A Midnight Clear...continued

There was not a sound on the pasture again. The animals breathed in the coldness and exhaled warm, swirling breaths in the pale light. Like puffing dragons or smoking teenagers, the four young horses and the deer were surrounded only by the fog of their respiration. Peering through the vapors, Jude the bay colt struggled to focus on the figure as he took another step into the light.

The doe, torn between her desire to flee and her inclination to remain with the group, blinked her soft brown eye. Whether she was trying to blink through the mist of breath, or sort the information filtering into her brain, Jude could not tell. She stepped closer to the warm fuzzy herd of horses until she was standing alongside the tallest of the group- the red colt named Maxim. He was a fortress of hair, muscle, and bone and she seemed extra small and delicate standing there beside him.

In the filtered moonlight, every shade appeared the same. Only hues of colors came through- identifying dark and light colors. It was as if the entire world was bathed in white.  Even in the altered light, he was unmistakeable. The broad man walked toward the horses with a lilting step that contradicted his size. He moved lightly and his large black boots did not crunch the Earth below his steps. He was draped in a large coat with thick fur lining which showed beneath the cuffs and the front seam of the jacket. The lining was rich and brilliant. Against the soft fur of the collar, lay a rich cluster of downy whiskers. They were perfectly groomed and covered his entire jawline.

Jude did not notice the slight nose which peeked above the glowing white beard because he was drawn to the black, twinkling eyes. His eyes sparkled, and the moonlight danced upon them. He strode directly to the group of horses and the deer. They were all wide awake now. The doe relaxed as recognition swept across her face. She bowed her head and smiled at the great figure.

As he reached them, he lay a large gloved hand upon Jude's forelock. He tousled the black hair there and then closed one of those magic, dancing black eyes into a wink. Jude felt his mouth pull back into a wide grin. He loved to be patted on the head and the large hand scratched just so right behind his ear.

The black eyes looked gently at the doe. Without a sound, he nodded his head back toward the dark tree line. She blinked her chocolate eyes once more and stepped to his side. They turned together and walked silently across the meadow. She was tiny compared to his bulk. His great coat moved only slightly as he swayed beside her.  Just as they reached the darkest spot in the line of trees at the edge of the meadow, she turned once and looked back at the little herd. Then they disappeared into the woods.

Casually, Jude shifted his weight from one hind foot to the other. He scanned the meadow for any other sign of activity but finding none, soon nodded back to sleep.