to live and burn is
the most exquisite form of self destruction

In what appeared to be an unconscious mimic of his elder’s behavior, the black colt’s expression was well-masked when he received Rade’s verdict. Only years of experience in reading the silent language of his kind enabled the Boss to see beyond the impassive front. To sense his young companion’s uncertainty, if not its cause. It had been years, after all, since he’d honed those skills for the sake of a brother now long gone. And even if his life had followed a less derelict road, this stoic youth would still have confounded the scarred old roan. Because no matter how insurmountable the odds, Rade was not the sort who could embrace the shackles of another’s will as readily as Carbon appeared to.

Freedom had always been as fundamental to him as the air that he breathed.

But the tickle of curiosity was not enough to part the golden stallion’s lips. While speech might serve to win him some answers, he’d learned long ago that the knowledge gained in silence was infinitely more valuable. In leaving the burden of filling the wordless moments to his companion, he hoped to hear the boy’s uncensored thoughts. Yet even in this, Rade was met with disappointment. The corners of his lips twisted downward when Cain’s son spoke carefully— sharing his experience with the Lagoon, but not his opinion. Holding the dark brown eyes when they gazed into his, the palomino bachelor wondered whether it was diplomacy or fear that gilded Carbon’s words.

Was he wrong about any of that now that you’re in charge? A flicker of anger briefly joined the burn of curiosity in his thoughts. At the boy’s presumptions that everything in the world could be defined as either darkness or light. When it came to the hearts of men, black and white often mixed into grey, and even the most carefully drawn of lines could be blurred. It was one thing to claim honor and integrity, and quite another to uphold them even when those you love were threatened. No doubt this dark youth’s sire had committed his share of sins in the name of protecting his family— and Cullen must have played the benevolent more than once to earn the support that he’d held.

Of course, the necessity of force was a lesson that could not be learned until it was witnessed firsthand. And so Rade tipped his head in a noncommittal response to Carbon’s words, his expression still apathetic. “I disagree with Cullen about many things— but not in what he told you.” The burnished palomino let his gaze wander lazily about their surroundings for a moment, giving the younger creature time to process his words. “Of course, I might easily same the same of your father, and he of me. We each live only one life, and view the world through a single set of eyes. That is where you will benefit from living among a bachelor herd— here, you have the opportunity to learn through the experiences of many. And such knowledge will serve you far better than raw strength.”

He chuckled then, a grim sound that was without much humor. “Of course, you don’t have to take my word for it. I’d be happy enough to show you the value of everything your father has taught you against what the Lagoon can offer.” Amber eyes rake over the colt’s muscular body, halting again at his face. “And perhaps after, we can visit your father’s Desert. I might be old, but that does not mean I am beyond learning myself.”

stallion . twenty-three . palomino roan . mustang mix . 15.1hh
debonaire x neassa