The young colt swiveled as the stallions came close, pinning his ears back into his mane. He hadn't even had a chance to introduce himself yet. He felt the tears prickling at the backs of his eyes, but he wouldn't let himself cry. So what if his mother had left him? So what if he wasn't supposed to be on his own? That he could feel their glares in his sleep. Their hooves on his skin every time he closed his eyes.
He shuddered as one of the stallions spoke to him. The ruckus between Cullen and Rhadra seemed to fade into the distance as he listened to what the stallion had to say. Jay tried to listen. He really did. But he couldn't get over how much this stallion sounded like the rattlesnake he had almost stepped on as a young colt. The smooth, dangerous sound of a predator. Even the words he spoke were menacing. Jay glanced at Izzy, wondering how the little filly was going to react. Then, the question.
"Will you leave them now?"

Jay narrowed his eyes in anger and flattened his ears as he let a low roar, surprising himself with the depth of the sound. He was not going to be pushed around again. He let out a primal scream, ready to fight the older stallions. He was going to lose, and he knew that. But at least the mare and her filly would have a chance to get away. Right as he was about to lunge, another mare came barreling out of nowhere. He reacted on instinct, spinning and hopping to stay out of her way.

It felt like only moments had passed when a second mare joined the fray. The two of them worked together, snapping and dancing like water crashing down from a fall. He couldn't help it. Their teamwork reminded him of the wolves that had driven him into a corner only a few days ago. He shuddered at the thought that he would've been forced to stay with those stallions. Would he have ended up like them? Seeing that the two mares had the situation under control, he swung his head around, looking for Izzy and Rhadra. All the while, he tried to calm the thoughts racing through his head. These mares were unbelievable. He almost regretted being born the way he was. If he had been born a mare instead, would they have accepted him? He gazed wistfully at the beauty of their movement, hoping that someday he would be able to do the same. But back to more important matters. He had lost sight of both of them in the chaos, and the handful of scents whirling around him was making it hard to pinpoint their location.

A rock clattered in the distance, and he followed the sound like a hound to prey. He let himself breathe when he saw the pair, but didn't let himself relax quite yet. He wasn't sure what injuries the mare had if any. Had the stallion's teeth connected with her flesh? Was Izzy okay?