He had thought that he was the only one that heard the voices in the trees and the figures in the shadows. For the longest time, he had decided that it was best to ignore them so as to not frighten the herd or to keep the little ones safe. Vercingetorix had thought that these sounds that manifested themselves in the trees when the wind blew were just figments of his imagination- his dreams come to life to torment him during his days when they could not always get to him in the middle of the night. The red dun had been alone in thinking that the forest was alive with more than just the trees and the shrubs and the little saplings that snapped underfoot.

So he looked at the mare somewhat incredulously as she spoke of monsters in the forest. For a moment or two, he feels some strange connection with her, but even as he does, he still sweeps his eyes across the surrounding trees, seeing no faces in the shadows and no beasts in the leaves. There is nothing around them, and they are completely alone.

Hesitantly, he steps forwards to greet her as she moves towards her, reaching out with his face as he offers to exchange the customary greeting of noses. Aiming to brush his nose against her ever so lightly, he takes his head back and looks her over when she speaks. "The trees can be... overwhelming sometimes." He replies honestly, his dark eyes searching her face for a few moments before speaking again. "I don't think you've bothered everyone- I'm usually the only one out at this hour." He knew that the main body of the herd was sleeping soundly on the other side of the forest, in a small clearing where they often gathered for their evenings. The grazing was better and the space could accommodate them all, as well as offering the space that the more 'burdened' mares required.

At the thought of his approaching children, the stallion shifted his weight and threw another glance around the trees. Certainly none of them would be plagued by the ghosts that he had seen, and none of them would have the pleasure of losing their mother to his own hooves. The thought brings a shiver down his spine, but he does not let his visitor see. Instead, he turns his body a bit and looks into the forest. "My name is Vercingetorix."