Since Kohelet’s departure, Fell has withdrawn. He cannot outrun what consumes him, so there is no reason to leave the Bay. He avoids the herd, certain that any who draw near him will get sucked into the avalanche that has become him. He does not want any more to leave in the same fashion as Kohelet: horrified and suffocating.

Somehow, in his desperation for company Fell has isolated himself completely. The beast of the Bay wanders in silence, his days filled with the soft crunching of pine needles beneath his hooves and the distant calls of geese as they migrate south for the winter. Sometimes, the pair of ravens that inhabit the Bay will accompany him, croaking and knocking at each other as though to mock Fell’s attempt to speak to Koh the day she left. Fell flicks his ears and tail in annoyance, but there is nothing he can do about them, and nowhere for his fury to go should he let it ignite with their calls.

The ravens are interrupted one morning by a ragged call from deep within the Bay. Fell wrestles with himself; instinct ignites within him, but he has no conscious will to fight off an intruder. Still, his body responds without any say from him, and Fell finds himself racing into the meadow where the familiar shape of the palomino stallion waits.

The differences between this encounter and the last Fell has seen of the golden brute are immediately apparent. For one, he has announced himself, forfeiting any stealthy advantage. For another, he is accompanied by two mares, neither of which belong to Fell. The black stallion’s herd is far from this place, tucked close to the foothills not far from the hot springs.

Still, Fell is not quite so ready to forgive the palomino’s attempt to steal Maziel from him all those seasons ago. He blows as he comes to a halt, pawing at the ground before him and lashing his coarse, heavy tail against his flanks. He has no interest in separating the brute from his women, nor does he want to direct any aggression their way; his attention is centered solely on the intruding male, at least for the moment.

He does not immediately attack, and beneath his instinctive territorial aggression is genuine curiosity at this strange visit, but his unfriendliness is clear. The Dreadstag had best explain himself, and quickly.

FELL

stallion. 16hh. black. marwari x. Rougaru x visurix.