One could pick from a growing list of reasons to explain the pangare stallion's bitter mood and the cold indifference he continued to display around most of his herd. He had purposefully maintained a distance between himself and the mares, interacting with them no more than necessary over the past months. It was a good thing, for both himself and them - for all it would take would be just one wrong word or action to trigger an explosion of pent fury. The buildup of tension coiled inside of him like the spring in a gun, loaded and ready to go at any moment and with no way to predict when or who might the unfortunate soul to be near when that happened. It was better that he avoided the mares and chose to direct his cravings of violence elsewhere than to the very herd he wished to see grow.

Yet as the seasons changed from winter to spring and the idea of pursuing his ambitious goals with a renewed vigor and determination began to take solid root, it only seemed that the plans forming in his brooding mind would be changed before he even had a chance to begin. After the event that had transpired with Aileen and her encounter with the ivory demon, Rhaego had been more set than ever to ensure that the incident was not repeated and the mares only carried his own bloodline within their wombs; he would take whatever means necessary to make it impossible for any outside stallion to plant their seeds in the Dale's mares. The simplest way to do that was to ensure that they were already with foal... all of them, whether they wanted it or not. However, in a quick check over the territory and its borders, Rhaego discovered that the golden winged unicorn, Rapunzel, had suspiciously vanished just as the time became right to spread his genes. Instinct had warned him about her the previous spring when she apologized for running away and asked to return; it had reminded him that winged equids like the gilded mare were fickle and untrustworthy creatures... yet he had been enticed to allow her one last try to stay despite his better judgment, only to have her vanish again. Then, as if that were not enough, the cream-pointed brute happened to intercept the scent of a familiar intruder crossing a path he knew that Aileen traveled. The white demon had returned and judging by the scents, Rhaego knew that he'd already taken what he wanted from the dryad mare and left... again.

The need for action and violence pulsed through his veins - because if these horses wished to slight him, then so be it... it would be their blood that would spill! They would learn that they had made grave mistakes in their choices, because heaven help them should he see an opportunity for retribution. Their time would come. But first, he had other matters to attend to.

The mealy dun stallion had already been on his way through the territory, seeking out the rest of his harem as he had Rapunzel and Aileen, when Kitty's call claimed his full attention. She was some distance away it sounded, across a few hillsides... but there was no mistaking that the call was meant for him. The time was right and this was something that the tawny-coated mare had been faithful about each breeding season. Every spring she had offered herself to him without fight or question, something that had garnered a more thoughtful appraisal from him. In the last year there'd been more light shed on her for him to see and he had discovered more about her than he would have ever imagined - not only that she had the ability to morph into some sort of large cat when angered but that she was quite sharp and insightful, more than he realized. Yet the fact that she had remained loyal to him thus far pleased him and especially in the wake of unfavorable events, her continued faithfulness was a pleasant and humbling relief.

So it was with a slightly cooler mind that the Dale's king loped slowly with perked ears and powerful neck flexed towards the direction of Kitty's call. Her beckoning scent guided him to the grove of trees in which she waited, causing a lusty heat to stoke within his veins and center in his loins. The burly beast huffed as he steadied himself to a gradual stop and turned an intense gaze to the buckskin mare - taking her in once more as it had been a while since he had truly been near her. He was observant of her, more intrigued and even a little curious, but there was little to no true fear plain enough to be seen. With a deep and throaty whicker, Rhaego takes some steps nearer to the Hunter mare brushing his own side against hers lightly and reaching out to lightly nibble along the curve of her neck in sort of silent greeting that would lead to what came next...