I love you more in my head
but I’ll love you better when I’m dead
⬡ ⬡ ⬡
The cunning and mischief written into every fiber of the bronze stallion is the most exciting thing Naydra has encountered in a long time. Maybe the Islands aren’t so boring after all; maybe they are, in fact, worthy of conquering. In any case, her attention has been snared, and Naydra leans shamelessly into the stallion’s trap, if indeed a trap is what he is planning.
His white-laced nose brushes feather-light against the carbon edge of her jaw, and though she follows the line of vision his guidance is intended to draw her attention, Naydra is very much aware of him beside her. Her honey eyes sweep over the landscape below them: the forest, the pool into which the Falls cascade, the stream that tumbles out of the pool and streaks like a silver ribbon into the distance.
It all belongs to her, she feels suddenly, and the overwhelming ambition and hunger to conquer it mixes with the electricity between herself and the bronze demigod beside her, and this cocktail of accelerants turns into something dangerous. She is wrought with the overwhelming desire to clamp her dark jaws around his throat and throw him off the cliff, to end him and drink that tantalizingly deep ocean inside of him in its entirety; as though she were even physically capable of overpowering him.
This sudden surge of violence does not stem from any kind of hatred, or even dislike of the bronze stallion. The feelings are not even negative in the slightest. They are simply energy, a burning passion and craving for more, with no immediate outlet. Like water following the path of least resistance, this energy flows down the well-worn trails of cruelty and dominance within Naydra’s mind, and thus spills into her wellspring of bloodlust.
His voice, rich and honey-smooth, pulls her from the strange trance she has entered at the edge of the cliff. A wager. The violent attraction to him does not lessen, but concentrates into a focus. She takes a breath, certain he can hear her heart thudding in her breast, leaning into the vulnerability her physical reaction has created despite its overconfident pretense; assured that she will be able to use this to her advantage should the need arise. The hurricane of ambition subsides as she shoves it away, making room for the stallion’s game. One dark ear flips to the side, targeting him, and swallows his words hungrily.
Naydra smiles a clever smile, looking up at the copper features and cat-like eyes, patiently awaiting her response. The silver-black mare assumes that he has calculated his guess very carefully, and wonders how much he truly knows, for certainly he has not wagered such a prize on… well, on a guess.
The truth of the game is that Naydra does not have a favorite time of day. Or at least, she had not previously. She wonders if this was an intentional play on the stallion’s part — to describe the sunset so beautifully that it would become her favorite time of day, and then intentionally guess something different. She would not put it past him, and her grin only grows as she appreciates the intricate design of his game. Dangerous, and dangerously intelligent, she admires silently.
He curls around her then, pulling the two of them away from the edge and toward the safety of the mountain. Her chest warms against the pressure of his shoulder, contrasting the cold stone behind her. Her tail swishes, brushing against the rough surface of the mountain, skin tingling where his lips brushed her neck.
“Hmm,” she purrs, tilting her head thoughtfully. Her gaze pulls away from the red-gold sky and follows instead the umber dapples highlighted across her companion’s back. “I think it might just be both. Your guess was correct… however, I can’t help but find a new appreciation for the sunset.” Her gaze slides up his neck, her own neck curving gracefully to follow the lines of his crest. “So, I suppose I owe you another sunset, and you must do anything I want.” She smiles, but it is not a triumphant expression; it is hungry.
Naydra
mare. 16hh. silver black. rougaru x visurix.
