While Rehoboam had counted violence among all of the possible reactions to his question, he didn't expect it to be the stallion's only defense, nor for it to come without the standard barrage of words that most posturing males delivered. With hardly a warning, Reh was too slow to avoid the attack entirely and contented himself with turning his forehand awkwardly out of the way, thereby offering his ribs to the stranger's teeth. If given a choice between a potentially crippling injury and the sting of a bite, Rehoboam knew better than to risk his mobility.

The tobiano had no way of knowing if this altercation was going to turn into a full out brawl or if this was a singular attack and so he acted accordingly. Using the same momentum that had turned his forehand away from the overo, Reh aimed his hind end toward the other stallion and lashed out with a defensive kick.

As space opened up between them, Rehoboam whirled back to face him with dark-rimmed ears pinned firmly into the tangle of his mane. Like with Işıksız, the other stallion yielded space first and so Rehoboam did not pursue him further despite lobbing every curse he could think of at him in his mind. The stallion's fierce fuck off earned a bitter laugh from the Marauder and he shook off the short scuffle as if the scrape on his side didn't matter. He didn't know what the red man's problem was, but they shared the same sentiment. Reh's lips parted with a rebuke but snapped shut as his gaze caught Işıksız's bloodied figure striding arrogantly toward them. The insult he tried to fling in Rehoboam's direction found no purchase in the tobiano's expression apart from the formation of a smile that was both furious and smug.

With the context of the irritating new recruit bearing fresh wounds, it was not hard to guess what had happened.

"Congrats, newbie," Reh mocked, his tone calm despite the way his ribs heaved from the influx of adrenaline after his impromptu fight. "Looks like you finally won something. Knew you'd get there someday, kiddo."

In hindsight, congratulating him on a win that was almost certainly going to ruin what little progress they'd made with their reputation was probably not the smartest idea, but adrenaline and anger were still running hot through his veins. Turning his gaze back to the red stallion, Reh shook his head in a mixture of disbelief and amusement. "Don't you two look like a match made in heaven."

On any other day, in any other circumstance, upon hearing of Jabari's situation, Reh would have commiserated with the older stallion and done what he could to help him. Without Rade, there was no "Boss" to allow him his freedom, but there was an election coming up, and things could have been bartered on his behalf.

As of this particular moment, however, Rehoboam didn't care if both of them rotted in the swamp together.

There was one thing he needed before he left them to canoodle together in the grass, and so he addressed both of them one last time before preparing to head back to his normal patrol. "Where did you take him from?"

StallionMutt15.2hGrullo TobianoSolomon x Keres