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Damn. Mercury chided herself lightly as her attack fell on Felony’s good side. Oh well, she was proud to have gone for it; aside from the occasional scrap with Shale, this was the first fight the silver-black had ever gotten into. She wasn’t even scared.

Mercury’s rage had begun to turn into excitement before she caught Felony’s gaze. Something had shifted, darkened, snapped, and the black mare was suddenly awash with fury again. Her father’s voice snarled through her mind, fueling her further and blinding her to any reason.

How dare the likes of him give in to such pathetic darkness... You should be offended.

She pictured Dexter for a moment, standing still with his dark ears buried in his white mane. He resembled Felony in the way his eyes blazed with such absolute hatred and fury, but the contrast was stark between their bodies. Mercury watched Felony rise above her, his insanity a highlighting burst to complement his usual viciousness. The Dexter in her head, however, was never simply vicious. Sometimes the monster glanced away, perhaps closed its eyes every once in a while, but it was always right there, always smiling. Felony’s monster fueled him, but Dexter’s monster was Dexter himself.

I’ll be Dexter today, Mercury thought. The young mare realized suddenly that she envied the extent to which her father’s rage existed. Most of her knowledge of his rage came from her child’s confidence that as an adult, he of course felt no fear. Since he was always angry, he must be angry enough not to ever be afraid, and though this was in reality a shot in the dark about Dexter, Mercury had no idea how right she was.

Still, her determination made it easier for her not to cry out in pain as Felony’s jaws locked around the crest of her neck. Instead, she shrieked, then gave one great buck and then another to loosen the stallion’s hold on her neck enough to escape. Her head whipped up, hoping to get a good crack at his jaw with her skull as his head passed over her. The pain from his bite was significant, but Mercury clenched her teeth and pressed her ears into her neck until they hurt. The pain didn’t scare her. You’ll live, she told herself. Pain won’t kill you.

They stood still for a moment, the biting ache in her neck making Mercury even angrier. Stupid mare, he called her. Shale might have stuck her tongue out at the stallion, but Mercury only glared. She ignored his other words, though she would probably think about them later. She hated Felony right now, hated him with a childish determination and a very adult loathing. She was still ready to kick him, ready to crack his skull and take some teeth out.

And she did kick as he lunged for her; one hoof met the muscular surface of Felony’s chest hard enough to bruise, but he didn’t stop. As her back end landed, Mercury was pinned beneath the stallion’s body as he brought himself down upon her. Fear suddenly seized her body, and her muscles screamed against Felony and against the ground; get out, get out, was all she could think, but she was unable to buck to pull away. He had her, Felony had her by the neck and by the tail and though she poured every ounce of willpower that she posessed into getting away, she could not.

It was done. As soon as she was free, Mercury ran. She didn’t even look at the creature, the wretched piece of filth that not only dared call itself a stallion but dared as well to climb on top of her and do what stallions do.

He can’t catch me now, she thought with burning hatred and regret. I couldn’t win a fight against him, but he’ll never win a race against me.