The stallion’s sarcastic drawl made Ruger snort in response, giving him half a mind just to leave the clearly blind stallion there for whatever else might be fated to him. But his clear opinion of the lagoon made him flick his ears forward, his wolfish eyes scanning his face a bit closer. Whatever it was about this stranger, Ruger felt he should know it, but the harder he tried to place it the more confused he got. Thankfully, he was not given the time to expose his thoughts, or even quip make some equally sarcastic retort. Head turning, he looked to the familiar pale face of Roheryn. He had not seen the stallion in quite some time,
Giving a nod in return to Roheryn’s greeting, he looks back to the stranger, though can feel his skin flush a bit from the commentary his nephew makes. Ruger had never considered himself to be good company in any situation. But it seems he is not the only one thrown off by the pale paint’s words. If Ruger had not already been studying the stallion’s indifferent face, he wouldn’t have seen the brief flicker of change before it was gone. It caused Ruger to narrow his eyes suspiciously. What did this stallion know that they didn’t?
Brother. Son. The stranger drops those words as if they are meant to be bombs, but Ruger is unfazed. By this revelation, he now knows this stallion is Mikhail, which must be shocking to Roheryn. But Felony was not one to sit alone in the Lagoon every season. There were many of his offspring still around, and their children too. “Brother means little to me.” Ruger replied. “Felony was not known for being shy. I’m sure there are still countless stories to be told about what he had done to the mares of these islands.”
The nagging feeling demanded more than what he claimed. That there had to be a stronger connection than that. But Ruger had not uttered his mother’s name in many long years. And he wasn’t about to break that now. What difference would it make? “Roheryn, I believe there is plenty to catch up on, if you don’t mind escorting our long lost family member to the Prairie? There is something I must take care of before heading back home.”