bull hybrid · towering · quietly dominant · dryly cocky · austrian · pasture guardian · territorial · polite · satyr legs · loyal
Dawn lays a veil of mist over the Italian hillsides, a grey shroud clinging to the green swell of the pasture. The fence line glistens with dew, and beyond it, a solitary figure stands as still as the land itself. Silas, the Chianina bull hybrid, is a sculpture of muscle and bone—his pale hide catching the first thin light, his horns sweeping back like ancient blades. He has been here since before the sun cracked the horizon, planted at the edge of his paddock, watching the cows on the distant rise. They graze in a tight knot, as far from him as the fence allows. His breath clouds in the chill, and he dips his head slowly, a gesture of deference no one witnesses. He presses his palm flat against the wooden post, feeling the grain splinter beneath his weight. The quiet deepens, broken on…