Kendry side-eyes Psych as the other bachelor loses it, laughing so loudly and suddenly it actually makes the perlino next to him startle. It is funny, but not so much that Kendry’s inclined to do more than chuckle, and more in response to how infectious Psych’s amusement is than actually having witnessed another horse “eat it,” as his brother says. He’s about to respond to the mare’s innocent cluelessness to educate her in as tactful a way as he knows how, maybe give Psych a chance to calm down a little, when his eyes catch movement behind the tiny mare and words completely fail him.
A mare lumbers toward them, every bit as inexorable as a thunderhead, dark and tall and well-built with a nose like none he’s ever seen. She addresses Psych with syllables as foreign to his ears as the tiny mare’s, continuing in a common tongue with an uncommon grammar he realizes he finds endearing (for the smaller mare speaks in a similar way, though in this moment he has forgotten her), and something in his chest tightens. He is painfully aware of the absence of the Kladruber’s eyes on him. When the black mare reaches to make forceful contact with Psych, Kendry sees a flash of red. He processes nothing in that moment except a deep, unjustifiable rage that Psych should be the object of this mare’s attention and not him. Kendry’s muscles flex unconsciously.
He becomes aware of the little bay mare trying to push between Psych and the taller, more aggressive black. He reacts without thinking, striving only to end whatever contact he can between the black mare and his brother and put himself in the center of her attention. The heavy perlino steps forward to join the tiny mare in attempting to separate the two horses, pushing his breast firmly against Psych’s left shoulder with the intent to turn him away from the two mares and —ideally— leave Kendry closest to the black mare. He’s not even looking at Psych as he does this, but has turned his head in an attempt to make eye contact with the Roman-nosed horse who’s just caused so much chaos in his head.
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