Drogon

He couldn't believe it. He was beaten, and battered, but somehow still victorious. Of course, Drogon wasn't foolish enough to consider his battle with Fell to be a fair win. They both might've swum from Atlantis to Tinuvel, but Drogon had only made the trip once that day and hadn't stopped to try and wrangle an unwilling mare in the meantime.

But a victory was a victory, and one made all the sweeter for the prize that he had won.

Drogon's gaze flicked to Svenja again, hardly able to believe his luck. He still wasn't sure what it was about the pretty little roan mare, but he had begun to notice changes in himself when she was around. It was harder to think impartially, let alone to consider any options that would harm her. He had no idea how to take care of her, but every fiber in his being was certain that it should be him taking care of her and not Fell.

Not even the presence of the unwelcome little colt bobbing along at her hip could dispel his good mood. It was unfortunate that the boy existed - not just for what his creation had cost Svenja, but because the boy represented a link back to Fell. Another reason for his irritating brother to keep pursuing the little roan mare, long after she had made her choice in the matter. But Drogon was not so heartless as to kill the child. Not just because he could serve as a pawn for later, but because he knew it would upset Svenja, and he found himself surprisingly unwilling to do so.

"We're almost there," he murmured to them both, picking his way carefully across the Ridge's shoreline. In truth, he was not at all certain as to how warmly Charybdis would receive them. He hadn't even managed to find her to meet their child and yet he was coming here with the intention of asking her to shelter not just him and his other mare, but three children as well, some of whom might put a target on her back. He just had to hope that the prospect of growing her herd would outweigh any other negatives.

He stopped the pair beneath the cover of a tree and lifted his head to call for Charybdis before favoring Svenja with a smile. He assumed she was worried about their son too, but he had done his best to convince her that if the boys didn't come to his call now, he knew where to find them in the jungle. He'd given them orders to wait at the border of Paradise and the Ridge until he returned, but he knew that there was a possibility they'd gotten caught up in some sort of distraction or adventure of their own. Soon the little family he'd never planned on building would be together again, and there was a strange sort of fulfillment attached to the idea that he had never expected. Perhaps... after everything, there was more Rougaru in him than he'd once believed.

"Charybdis should be here soon," he offered with a confidence he didn't truly feel. He knew little about the splashed mare, all things considered. But he knew that she had a kind heart, and he hoped that this would translate to her going along with his request. He stretched forward more boldly to try and press his muzzle against her shoulder in a gesture of comfort. It wasn't something he did often, but he'd be lying if this recent victory hadn't made him feel like it was time for them to turn over a new leaf.

Can you feel it?