rade

At first, Rade offered no reaction to his son's sudden appearance, and no response to the boy's bilingual greeting. Moments passed in silence until the tension became so taut that only a slender thread kept it from breaking, and the stallion simply studied Fiero's expression, reading the resentment buried in the golden dun's eyes. And though he might have rebuffed the younger stallion with bite or blow, Rade derived a secret pleasure from the boy's spark of defiance. Fiero had never shown more promise than in that moment - facing his father not as as a son, but as a brother.

"Fiero." The Lagoon's leader finally responded by way of greeting, his tattered ear swiveling forward to mirror its whole partner. "And here I thought you had fled the Lagoon - perhaps you are my son after all." Though the words were said lightly, casually, Rade chewed them over in his mind. It was Leon who had originally seemed destined to follow in the Boss's footsteps, but now he wondered whether he had underestimated Sicily's son. Fiero was one of few who could claim the blood of two great Lagoon leaders, and though neither Rade nor Thane could boast impressive strength, the stallions' shrewd minds had achieved much and more.

It was irritating, however, to face this reminder of how truly alike they had been, and the roan stallion turned his thoughts to a different avenue. Nudging the buttermilk filly's flanks while keeping a wary eye on his son, Rade encouraged his nameless daughter to step forward and meet her half-brother. "I could not help but to notice how lonely it is in the Lagoon, so I brought you a friend," the king said with a smile that did not touch his hard amber eyes. "She has no name to speak of yet, but she is a daughter of my blood - and who better to accustom her to her new home than her own brother?" Though this may have sounded like an offer to the casual observer, any brother of the Lagoon would know better. Rade was not the sort of man to be refused, as Conquistador had already learned.

Hopefully Fiero would prove wiser - this test would be his first and final chance to demonstrate his worth.

stallion / ten / palomino roan / arab mix / 15.1 hh