It was not long before Aerek heard the thunder of hooves.
He turned to see a large, powerfully-built horse charging at him, its ears buried in its windswept mane and its teeth bared, shining white against a brown face. Aerek stiffened, twisted his ears back, and backed away in preparation to flee, but the horse stopped short of him, making no move to attack. Now that they were close, he could see that the stranger was enormous - far taller than any horse he'd ever met before - and because of this its aggressive posture did not fail to have its intended effect on him. Aerek felt tiny and vulnerable in the face of this monster, and his heart hammered in his chest with fear.
Then the monster spoke, and one of Aerek's ears flicked forward in surprise. It was a mare. How strange that she should be acting in such a way, as if she were a stallion protecting his kin. He had no intention of commenting on this, however; he had no intention of doing anything at all that might provoke the giant mare into using those teeth and hooves on him.
"Forgive me," the stallion said with as much composure as he could muster, and dipped his head in submission. "I mean no harm, and will be on my way very soon. My name is Aerek, and I come from the mainlands in search of someone. Aeros guide you, Frah."
AEREK
8; flaxen liver chestnut sabino; 15.1hh |