fenris

Forlorn and full of shadows, the Forest was not unlike the Lagoon. It would be easy for Fenris to be at home here, to lose himself in the trees as he had often done in his own home. But it would be unwise to let his guard down here - he was walking into the heart of enemy territory, his very presence a threat to the stallion's herd. Lyden was not likely to take kindly to the intrusion, but the Lagoon repaid its foes from the same coin. The painted stallion had treated their borders with casual contempt, and now the bachelors were here to return the favor.

Of course, this wasn't exactly official Lagoon business. Young as the pair was, they were dismissed with casual disregard whenever there was a task to hand out, if not contempt. For weeks Fenris had waited and watched, wondering how he was to prove his mettle when there were older and more experienced stallions lining up for the Boss's favor. The answer came in the most unexpected package - a boy who the dark bay remembered from the day he'd spent sparring beneath Ceolwulf's watchful eyes. Leon had not fought that day, and Fenris had pegged him for a coward. But, as he had discovered last night when Leon had whispered the plan into his ear, courage came in many forms.

And the boy's was born of cleverness.

Fenris was silent as he followed his partner, letting Leon take his pick of the prizes. It had been his idea, after all, and Fenris was content to watch and learn. This way, the young roan whispered, and the dark bay allowed Leon to pull ahead and approach the woman. Her fear would be greater if Fenris seemed to materialize from the shadows themselves, and fear was a valuable tool - perhaps moreso than strength itself.

Under cover of Leon's lengthy speech, Fenris crept silently toward the pair. Leon had taken up the right side of their quarry, which left Fenris to maneuver his blind side carefully beside the woman, so close that his warm breath brushed over her skin. When she turned, she would see only the ruin of his face - the puckered flesh of his scars, the dark abyss where an eye should have been. And being offered the choice between a monster and a man, she would either come along quietly, or come along crying.

But she would come.

colt / yearling / dark bay / friesian mix / 16 hh