The dense trees spun a web of shadows, shrouding the Lagoon in an eternal twilight. Rade embraced this darkness, enfolded himself in it, seeking the solitude that had evaded him for far too long. There, standing beside the decaying remains of one of the forest's fallen giants, the palomino sought to untangle the snarled chaos of his thoughts. To find a purpose beyond his quest for power. But before he could do more than briefly enjoy the stillness and silence of his newfound sanctuary, it had been broken by the sounds of a body crashing carelessly through the thick growth.

Probing his surroundings with wary eyes, Rade could see the round-bellied silhouette - a shadow among shadows, winding sinuously between the trees. He could have easily remained silent and allowed her to pass him by, but he was curious about what it was that the strange woman sought. And why her dark eyes had fallen closed in a gesture of surrender. Stepping out from his concealment, the palomino placed himself directly in her path, announcing his presence in a voice as soft as the whisper of her breath.

“Arms open wide and eyes shut tight - I wonder, daughter of Thane, what is it that you hoped to find here?” Rade touched his muzzle to hers in greeting, eager to close the distance that the grulla mare has maintained since their last confrontation, if only for a moment. Then, his words bubbling with wry humor, he spoke again. “I have heard that love is blind, but I don't think that it was intended to be taken literally.” Plunging his velvet nose past the barrier of her black mane, he then traced the taut muscles of Sicily's neck with his teeth, and breathed his scent into her skin.

“Or does this mean that you have changed your mind? I might be willing to give you your freedom - at a cost, of course.” His last sentence lingered in the air, a cruel temptation dangled before the woman. What Rade offered was only the illusion of freedom; the price that Sicily paid would only tie her to him with a different set of shackles. But it would be interesting to see how much she was willing to give up to escape her imprisonment in the swamp.

stallion // mongrel // 15.1hh // 6 // palomino roan // reba
debonaire x neassa