Hawke

x^aisy/ six / grullo tobiano / mixed breed / 15.3hh

Any doubts Hawke might have held about the identity of the young stallion before hir were quickly dispelled by the arrival of a second. For a few moments they seemed to forget about the grullo's presence, communicating with one another about some woman named Shenzi. When the darker stallion let slip that she had been a captive whose desperate bid to escape he'd thwarted, the androgynous creature's ears flattened, disappearing into the dark sea of hir mane. Though hir solitary life was a lonely existence, it had given the slate-colored tobiano an appreciation for the independence that was hirs as well.

The idea that one creature might intentionally rob another of its freedom was not only repellant; it was infuriating. Was this the cause of the war that Hawke had been hearing whispers of? If so, shi might be forced to reconsider the stance of neutrality and non-violence that shi had decided upon before allowing Bacardi to lead hir to the Peak. Hawke would have gladly risked hir other eye to spare another the captivity that shi hirself had briefly known in the desert. And though the nerves that had been damaged in hir half-lidded eye had either healed or deadened long ago, it seemed to the grullo that hir the sunken socket gave a throb of sympathy at the thought.

Hir body language was more aggressive, more masculine now as Hawke faced the petulant youth before hir. The silver-black was grousing about his newly-won capitivty, and so soon after flippantly discussing the continued imprisonment of another! Hawke's single working eye narrowed into a glare as shi regarded the two strangers without a hint of sympathy to soften the hard planes of hir expression. "So captivity is just for mares, is that it? Perhaps once you've had a taste of what this Shenzi has endured, you will feel remorse for your actions in holding her against her will and trading her like a pound of flesh. That is, if you are not past redemption, colt."

Unbeknownest to the painted grullo who had been absorbed in the turmoil of hir sudden hatred for these strangers, one of the Vulcans had arrived in time to hear these spite-filled words. But as the black mare strode confidently into view, the power of her presence alone was enough to cause Hawke to shrink back against the shelf of rock, golden eye both wary and wondering. The mares shi had met up until this point - with the exception of Mouse - had been docile specimens that made it difficult for the grullo to reconcile hir lack of instinctive submission to the masculine gender. This was, of course,because Hawke was genetically male - though resistant to the androgens that would have allowed hir to develop as such due to a genetic defect passed along by hir dam. Without the outward signs of gender that a typical stallion showed, shi had been raised as Hollowpoint's daughter. And due to hir solitary nature, Hawke had never been given cause to doubt the truth of hir identity.

Of course, it was here amongst the Vulcans - were Hawke finally felt a sense of belonging - that the foundation of hir world might finally crumble.

*hir and shi are gender-neutral pronouns