It was not meant to be.

The dun filly kicked up a fuss as young girls were prone to do. She attempted to thwart him, moving in a direction he did not intend but he was not stupid. He snorted and skirted around her, snapping his teeth at her haunch in a bid to both drive her forwards, in the direction he wanted, and to shut her up. Perhaps there was a small part of him that admired her effort to not just give in at the first sign of confrontation. She could be of use to him.

Sometimes things just don’t go your way.

If it were possible, the black stallion’s ears would have pinned further into the tangle of his mane at the sound of a bellow from an unknown aggressor. Although the scent of the stallion had been nearby, he had hoped he would have had enough time to get the young mare out of the forest before he could chase them down. Perhaps he had been closer than anticipated or maybe he had picked up the pace at the distress cry of the girl. Regardless, Ceolwulf was not pleased by this turn of events.

Sometimes it seems fate is against you.

The threatening cry was enough to put Ceolwolf on edge and alert him to the possibility that he might not get out of this unscathed; that was alright. He might not get the girl, but at the very least, he could inflict some damage on the body of the one who dared to stop him. The painted stallion dove between him and his prize and Ceolwulf twisted away on light hooves. There was a dull thud and a grunt as the youngster’s hooves glanced off his hip. Big mistake.

Sometimes you’ve just got to tell fate to shove it.

Ceolwulf continued twisting around, ignoring the sting in his hip as he quickly turned on the male; hoping to catch him before he could recover himself fully from the buck. He saw his young prize totter away behind the boy and the rage boiled up from his gut to his throat, prickling along the surface of his skin. He surged forwards which precision, throwing his weight towards the boy. His hooves lifted a foot off the ground, the left kicking out at the delicate bone’s of the growing stallion’s legs and his teeth going for the boy’s face. There was a witty comment on the tip of his tongue but it dissolved in the flash of yellowed teeth and flying hooves.