Winter was nearing, as inevitably as the sun did rise that morning. Days passed, seasons came and went. And Rhaego was preparing for another day full of patrols and various rounds to check on his small harem of mares and foals. It had been quiet for a time, but never once did he think that he was safe from the prowling of neighboring stallions seeking to take his land or his collection of mares. Being the primary warden of the lands, it was not often that he had much time for leisure, particularly for an ambitious stallion as himself who perhaps made enemies better than he made allies.

Today was truly no different. The morning began with a short excursion to the mountain path which served as the main thoroughfare between the Dale and the other lands of Mist Meadows. He scoured the stony and precarious paths for new scents and of course made it a point to leave his own behind - a sign of his vigilance, a warning to any trespassers that he would be watching for them. The burly stallion's trek back down across the treacherous mountain slopes that towered above the Dale; the task was always a slow one, no matter how many times that he made the journey. He didn't mind to take his time navigating and learning the paths through the rocky peaks. In places, all it would take would be one foolhardy move to spell disaster for any horse and send them plummeting to their deaths down steep and unforgiving cliffs. That was good, he had decided; it would weed out the weak or keep them away from his herd altogether. It would also make it more difficult for those reluctant mares he captured to escape the mountain fortress.

Rhaego had just descended into the first small valley in the foothills of the mountain cliffs when a swirl of black in the distant sky caught his attention. Bulging muscles, warm from his tedious journey down the mountain face, pull him to an abrupt and jerky halt, a snort blasting from his nostrils as his eyes followed the shape gliding across the invisible currents. A flash of familiarity flickered through his deep auburn gaze, a broody recollection of the very first equine to cross his borders - a malnourished and travel-weary mare seeking a safe haven. She had only stayed long enough to rest her own brilliant ivory wings and gorge on the lush grasses and fruits the Dale offered, but then she had left without a trace. He had begun to wonder if he imagined the flashy mare that could soar through the sky like the birds. And for the most fleeting of seconds, Rhaego questioned if he were imagining her return. This creature though was black as soot and larger than the mare that he remembered.

The thunder-like clap of wings against the autumn air caused the burly Swedish stallion to stiffen, following the winged equine until it vanished behind a hillock a distance away. Adrenaline soared through his veins, causing his muscles to tense and roll in apprehension as he stood there for only a second longer, before launching forward in a sudden burst of power. Ebony-rimmed ears laced flat into his white streaked mane, his focus devoted solely to reaching this mysterious horse, bird, or whatever it was as quickly as possible. One thing about these winged creatures that he had learned from the mare, they came and went as they pleased.

It was the sheer strength and power in his long, reaching strides that lent the draft stallion his speed - and though he was built like a powerhouse, broad-chested and long-barreled, he was still more althletic than most of the draft type. This speed and the sure-footedness of his home turf allowed the mealy bay dun to top a hill near Thunder Bolt within only a few minutes it seemed. Rhaego halted, rocking back and spinning on his powerful hindquarters slightly, glaring down the slope at what he could now see was an ebony stallion. The late autumn sunlight glinted dully across Rhaego's copper winter coat as he snorted and huffed breathlessly from his run. Undaunted, he spilled into a swift and long-strided trot down the slope, thick and heavily muscled neck arched dominantly. He let out a deep, guttural call of challenge - every muscle in his body tensed and ready to spring into action. "If you think you can claim the Dale for your own, you better be ready to prove it to me!" Rhaego showed no mercy to those he thought to be enemies, which tended to be most if not all... and certainly a handsome and winged pegasus stallion whom also appeared to be in the prime of his life arriving unannounced did not seem entirely promising to be a friend. Wouldn't you think?