Falls

She danced away from him, her patchwork coat somehow still glittering in the weak winter light. Her agility always caught him by surprise, and though he pulled away to avoid getting punished for his boldness, his gaze remained locked appreciatively on her. Rehoboam hadn't yet found any other mares that struck the same resonating chord in his chest, and while he hesitated to call it love, he knew it was something different.

He could appreciate the beauty of other mares when he saw them, and might even find his blood getting hot in Fall when something tempting passed beneath his nose, but no one else inspired him to take risks the way Celestine did. Nor did they walk through his dreams, both of the day and night variety. This was a privilege afforded only to the pretty silver mare before him and the mysterious mother he could only vaguely remember. Rehoboam wondered if Celestine knew what she meant to him, or if this was all just a game to her.

Either way, he wouldn't be the one to speak it into existence.

Rehoboam smiled against the velvet of her coat as she touched him affectionately, but kept one dark-rimmed ear tipped back towards her in expectation of her shenanigans. He squealed softly as she latched onto his mane, and reached out to try and retaliate, only for her to whirl away from him like a ballerina and take off. This too, was a routine he was familiar with, and one that left him breathless in more than one way. This game of cat and mouse always tested his self control more than any other singular action, and he was almost entirely certain that she knew it.

They all but collided as the chase concluded, and he ran his lips along her skin again, scraping lightly with his teeth over her withers as she confessed what was truly on her mind. I want to go on an adventure. Reh tried hard not to let his unease show, but he could not hide the way his body stiffened beneath her. It wasn't like she had asked to go to the Cove, and yet he couldn't help but fear the prospect of running into yet another member of his family somewhere.

He wasn't yet ready to defend his position in the Lagoon to his family.

He hummed against her skin to buy time, trying to avoid thinking of how harshly he'd judged Tyr for taking a vacation during his time as General. Of course, Reh wouldn't stay gone for long. Not with Bellona in the Lagoon now, and presumably due to give birth as soon as Spring really hit. But he couldn't deny that the thought of a few days away from the monotony sounded nice, especially if it gave him more excuses to monopolize Celestine's time.

"Take you somewhere fun?" He teased, nudging her shoulder with his own. "You mean you don't find muddy bogs and a bunch of rowdy, hormonal stallions fun anymore?"

Other than a lingering spike of defensiveness in his tone, his body language had resumed the earlier comfortable companionship and he ruminated on her request for a moment, studying the crystalline blue of her eyes. Tinuvel was out. And by association, so was Paradise, the Ridge, and the Shore. The Ruins would be the most logical choice, given the lack of other rulers or threats... but he doubted it would qualify as fun in her eyes. That left Luthien and Salem then. Luthien was dangerously close to Tinuvel, but he would freely admit that the thought of eating airbone Salem sand held little appeal.

As he debated, a strange piece of gossip he'd overheard recently resurfaced in his mind and made the decision for him. Hopefully, the random stranger had not been wrong about their predictions. It wouldn't be the same as showing her where he was from or all of the things he loved about the icy north, but perhaps he could show her a little bit of where he was from.

"Alright then," he murmured with a mischievous smirk, stretching out to brush his muzzle against her lips before placing a light nip against the skin there. Lashing his tail against her side, he darted forward with a parting taunt, heading eastward toward the sea. "Keep up... if you can."

Despite the challenge in his words, Rehoboam did not doubt her capabilities. Despite her draftish build, she was agile and smart, as likely to grab his tail or playfully smash into him as she was to fight fair in this endeavor. Even so, he wasn more slender and narrow, and used that to his advantage as he raced pell-mell for the ocean, one ear cocked back to measure her progress.

Just as they reached the shoreline, he slid to a stop in the soggy sand, kicking splatters of the muck out into the ocean as he eyed the distant shore of Luthien. It was still far too close to both Tinuvel and Atlantis for him to be entirely comfortable, but it would at least allow him to share one small part of himself without risking anyone else finding out about his current circumstances. That was if the rumors were true. If the random stranger was wrong he'd just be making Celestine swim across the ocean and invade a strangers land for naught... but even that risk seemed small in comparison the payout of spending more time with the patchwork mare that both infuriated and delighted him.

Turning back to her, he tipped his head in the direction of Luthien. "Up for a swim?"