fearghas

Her subtle slide away from him feels like a gut punch, especially considering his admonishment had been borne out of fear for her safety. The motion, coming so soon after his heart had been set to thumping by her casual embrace, seems to scream to him that he had the wrong idea. Not just about her safety, but about their familiarity. Combined with the way he felt blindsided by her familiarity with this cream-colored stallion, Fearghas suddenly feels very, very small. He echoes her slide away from him with extreme reluctance, and his gaze searches the sidelines for absolutely anything that he could look like that wasn't the silvery mare or the handsome stallion.

The two of them discuss herd dynamics, but Fearghas remains quiet. It is the same system he had been raised in, and to be entirely honest, had never really considered that there might be other options. He knew in his hear that there were ways to live such a life more honorably than the Lagoon was currently doing. There was no reason for a mare to fear for her life simply because she lived among bachelors. Loathe to make his ignorance obvious, he again chooses silence, his gaze lifting to study their surroundings as though looking for intruders.

He sticks to this routine right up until Kendry mentions him by name and his figure stiffens slightly. He turns back to the cream male, his ears tipping back in thought. If what he said was true, than perhaps there was still hope for the Lagoon to not be a prison for every single thing that got trapped here. But then again, what if that was still not enough? It wasn't as though Cullen had been idle in the past few months. Even though he had all but given up on the bachelors captured by the Peak, he had busied himself in other arenas. Goose. Varanduil. Even a few other new faces that he could not name had begun to swell the ranks of the humid territory.

Could he really do enough to turn the tide of power? But even if he did, who would lead then? Fearghas felt ill-equipped to handle the role himself, although if he had to he certainly would.

The problem that stopped him, and keeps him from responding immediately now, is the knowledge that if he fails in this coup attempt, he could be dooming an entire group to Cullen's persecution. As if Ally's torment was not bad enough, he could literally be handing Cullen a group of hapless individuals who had no defense against his cruelty. And worse, what if others were like Cullen? What if he just invited more vipers into their midst?

It seems his silence has dragged on for far too long, and he turns as Ally moves, his gaze drawn to her like a magnet. Fearghas had known that he had made a mistake as soon as she had shifted away from him after his touch, and as she offers her goodbyes he understands that his mistake is deeper than even he had realized. The spotted stallion swallows hard and nods.

"Okay, Ally." The calm in his voice is entirely fabricated as he responds to her, and his hide twitches in discomfort. Would chasing after her make things better or worse? Ultimately he decides to take her at word in her request for space, especially considering the disasters that had followed each of his attempts to protect her. "Um, I'll see ye around then."

He watches as she departs, his heart in his throat. Swallowing hard, he turns back to Kendry, attempting to pretend that nothing unusual had happened. "I ken what yer saying. But if it doesnae work, if we canna get him out, am I not jus' dooming them ter the same fate as Ally?" His tail flicks across his hocks as a direct contrast to the rigidity of the rest of his figure as he fights to stare after Ally's retreating figure. "The Boss would jus' take it out on them." Well, and him. But Fearghas wasn't so worried about that part.

stallion . 3 years . 15.2 hands . smoky black blanket . loveinspired . credit