“Mm,” he grunted at her question, narrowing his yellow eyes toward Peyote and the wild coyote pup he’d somehow befriended. “Yeah.”
For the startling the colt had given, Psychedelic still clenched his jaw and found himself wishing he’d snatched flesh. Maybe a good, firm bite would teach the boy that leaping out of the Lagoon shadows to scare him wasn’t the best of ideas. Of course, given how many times Peyote’s antics had made the old stallion grouchily deliver physical punishment and things like this were still happening, somehow, he knew one bite wouldn’t magically make things better. Still, it would have been nice to hurt the little brat rather than give him the satisfaction of scaring the pair of them with no consequence. As it was now Peyote was all but ignoring them, having too much fun splashing the pup and then giggling and running away as the water-logged creature growled and went bounding after him in retaliation.
“That’s my son.” Psychedelic said, and his words held no grand pride like other stallions might have when speaking of their children. They didn’t hold disdain, either (okay, maybe a little bit of warranted annoyance). “And, for some reason, that’s the coyote pup that’s been following him around for a while now.” He slid his eyes back to the newest Lagoon trinket and said, “If Peyote jumps out and scares you like that, give him a good ass-kicking. He thinks it’s funny.” Psychedelic’s tone suggested it definitely was not. “He’ll learn.”
Maybe it was strange to suggest a captive so casually could be free to wail on his own flesh-and-blood, but Psychedelic didn’t hesitate over his words or seem to worry over saying them. He almost suggested that it’d do them all a favor if she managed to get her hooves on the coyote pup and crush it into the ground – Psychedelic had tried stomping on the thing a few times – but Peyote always grew ridiculously protective and put himself in the way, protecting the little beast. Even for such a little thing he could fight quite viciously.
“As I was going to say, before we were so rudely interrupted, welcome to the Lagoon.” What a welcome it was. “You’re our captive now, but I’m sure your fearless leader will come to take you back as soon as she’s able to.” Psychedelic said it with a smile, but it wasn’t kind. There were countless times herd leaders rose hell to take back those that were taken from them, but there were other times where they cut their losses and let the taken one go. He wouldn’t be surprised either way.
“You don’t leave the Lagoon without one of the bachelors accompanying you.” He decreed, and his words were a little more pointed and firmer when he spoke. “Don’t try getting smart – I’ve known these islands long before you were even a speck of light in your sire’s eye. I’ll find you, wherever you run.” Maybe she was young and sheltered enough that intimidation would work. Maybe it wouldn’t. But the words were there and if she managed to slip out from under the Lagoon’s nose and hide elsewhere, Psychedelic would find her again.
“Run!” Peyote shouted the word happily, selectively only catching one of his handful of favorite words after finding his way back to them. He also seemed oblivious to the very serious air settled over the pair of adults. The coyote pup looked nervously toward Psychedelic and refused to come as close to their gathering as the colt did. It paced instead, waterlogged and panting, back and forth a little way’s out of striking range before it finally flopped down into the wet sand, pink tongue lolling out of its wide-open mouth as it breathed heavily. Peyote fixed his blue eyes up on the newcomer, who he was far more intrigued by than he was his father. “You like to run?”
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