“ Again, “ Saffron firmly states, stomping a foot down hard where she stood -- as if that would emphasize her point, ” You have no authority over what I do. I do not ‘talk’, or ‘go’ to anyone, when I see issues. I address them. Whether or not anyone thinks it’s ‘my business’. “ Her ears remain pointed, and her body language shifts from casual and relaxed to rigid and assertive. Saffron was very, very traditional to what it meant to be a wild horse, let alone a lead mare -- not just a queen. Yes, technically speaking, stallions were the ‘head’ of the herd, they drove the mares to safer pastures, protected them, fed them, watered them, bred them. But lead mares -- such as Saffron -- were the ‘neck’, and the neck could turn the head any which way she wanted.

Whether or not Liland had a lead mare was not important to Saffron. Because if he had one, she would be here investigating these outsiders every bit as much as Liland was. There was no order here, and, that was exactly what the Bay, what Tinuval needed. Saffron would turn her head to a nearby peak, and her heart sank as the ghost of Jareth stood, looking over her -- over them. She had promised to look after his family. Although they were now gone and scattered across the land like seed, Saffron was still a part of that family. And by extension, so too was Enigma. The mare gave her young spotted companion a look full of meaning. Enigma could watch the way her ember-like eyes glimmered with the weight that came with decision making. And in an instant, something within her roared to life.

Saffron arches her thick neck, and she strikes out with a foot -- though not at the dun stallion, but, it certainly would be a gesture he recognized. This was no innocent stomp, it was one of challenge, accented with a body that seemed to coil tight like a snake before it strikes.

” Liland, Earl of the Bay. “ Saffron spoke, the authority in her tone undeniable. ” It’s clear to me that we will not be seeing eye to eye on this matter. I don’t care what mistakes you have, or haven't made. I only care about who you are now, and who it is you want to be tomorrow. Who that stallion is, I cannot and will not agree with. I challenge you for control of Tinuval’s Bay. “