That Rougaru insists on calling her anything but her true name, as if he’s put in the time and the effort and earned the privilege rather than using it to mock her, only pisses her off further. Titania snorts in response to his threats, refusing to take them seriously. She has been a Queen once before, and she knows how bad of an idea for him it is to try and break her with violence. A cowed subject is one you have to watch closely; you can’t ever be sure of their loyalty, having gained it unwillingly, through fear. The second you give them an inch, if you haven’t destroyed them utterly, they take a mile. His little group of mongrels here must not keep him that busy if he had time to go all the way to Luthien and covet another stallion’s mares, but he can’t keep tabs on her all the time… and she will be poking her inky nose into every nook and cranny, looking for the smallest hole she can fit through that will lead her out of this muggy hell and straight to freedom.

This little dove is cataloguing every single slight upon her and her happiness, and she will make sure he pays for all of them, one way or another.

Her pulse quickens as he moves closer to her again. She sucks in a tight breath, tensing for another pinch of his yellowed teeth. Instead, he merely presses his form against her shoulder, pushing into her… and though they are still damp from their journey, she still feels every inch of his skin jabbing like millions of whitehot tiny needles where it meets with hers. Contrary to what might be expected of her, Titania doesn’t attempt to push him away, even though she has uncompromised access to his most delicate pressure points. She’s still ultimately at a disadvantage with her lack of knowledge of the terrain and the way her muscles cry out from so much overuse. Instead of throwing her weight into her hind legs and digging her hooves into the sand, as she’d like to, Titania moves with him, sidestepping backwards up the coast and towards the trees. She takes her slight bit of defiance in that she sets her own pace, refusing to turn her back to him. The cool stillness of the jungle creeps closer and closer, laying its own separate weight upon her shoulders, and just before they reach the cover of the trees the speckled mare cranes her head to drink in the star-studded sky above them one last time.

The shadows envelop her, and for a second as her pupils adjust all she can see is Rougaru’s silhouette in stark relief against the moonlit backdrop of the beach. The mischievous glint in his eyes, the feel of his coat on with hers, and the strong scent of him flooding her nostrils all add to the primal aura about the bay. Like the monster he is, he takes a jab at her beloved, and the furor that had receded to embers flares into a blaze all over again. Without the light of the stars to give her away, her smile fades to a scowl. Her dark eyes caught the glint of his teeth as he dared to smirk at her, as if he was proud of himself for taking such a cheap shot.

Titania decides they have moved far enough into the trees for her liking, and plants her hooves, bracing herself for his weight against her small form. She pivots, angling herself so that the two of them now stand side-by-side. Her blood pulses hot in her ears, roaring over the muffled noise of the tide that beckons her, so close and yet so far away. Titania’s laughter rumbles in her throat, low and full of pity, and her whispered voice drips with sarcasm. “Did I strike a nerve, Rougaru?” Her muzzle drifts closer to the tender flesh of his neck, warm breath dancing over his fur. “You shouldn’t dish it out if you can’t take it.”

Seizing the moment, Titania dares to press her muzzle to the place where his neck joins his shoulder, dragging it in a slow line along the thick band of muscle that leads up to his throat latch. “How strong are you, truly, to let a little dove provoke your ire so easily?” The mare doesn’t know if he’ll even let her get this close, considering how she’d used her hooves and teeth against him earlier. Still, she tries, clawing for inches while setting her sights miles and miles ahead.