It would have been easy enough to give ground to her advance; as soon as her body shifted toward him Vane could’ve pulled his powerful hindquarters back and withdrew himself before she was close enough to do whatever she dared. Yet, too curious and even anticipating whatever smart pain may come when she attacked, the bulky pearl stayed exactly where he stood. His grin even deepened as she lunged for him, right as she was forced to come to a halt so close he could feel her hot breath stir the long hair across his face. His eyes held hers and shone their amusement right at her as her little child groggily awoke.
He considered glancing past her again to look at the moving shape of the foal, just because of how cross it’d made her when he’d looked before, but in truth… Vane did not want to look away from her while she stood so close. As near as she was, with the soft blue-white light of the moon stabbing down between them, he could see every sharp line of her face and the fierce, almost murderous determination in her eyes. He hadn’t decided if he was impressed or amused - perhaps a mixture of both.
One thing was for certain, he was disappointed she hadn’t been able to land whatever attack she’d been after.
His shoulder trembled, much like it would if a fly landed against it, as he drew up memories of the many bites he’d taken over the years and replayed the sight of her flat teeth bared in rage at him as she had initially lunged.
She’d taken herself a few steps back and a quick glance showed him the little dark and white foal tucking itself to stick its head under her hip. Vane’s blue eyes paid little mind, barely brushing across its figure to focus on the mother once more. I’m busy. She warned, and his grin picked up again as his gaze met hers. He gave a half-lazy toss of his thick head, just enough to throw his forelock back into his mane and show his entire face as he looked her over. Go bother someone else.
A simple denial of her request was ready to leap from his mouth, but Vane held the word at bay. He let the silence draw out, knowing every second would be excruciating to test what little patience she had (which he surmised was not very much) and enjoying that fact. How was she to know he would not capitalize on her need to protect her child to bully his way into whatever he wanted of her and this meeting?
“I think I’ll stay instead,” he remarked, and made sure his tone was rather lazy, almost disinterested in the rage that poured from her. He made a show of rolling his thick, muscled shoulders as he glanced away from her and seemed to peer off around them. “I don’t see anyone here capable of making me leave.” He added, and with the last word he spoke, his blue eyes slid back to her. Babe stuck to her teat or no, he wondered how she would keep herself from launching at him. By the look across her face, his time was wearing thin. Yet all in all, it was growing more amusing to press and challenge her by the second, even while he had no actual plan formulated to where this was going to go or how long he might play with her.
He made a show of shaking out his coat and his thick, heavy tail before sighing and almost seeming to settle even more comfortably where he was standing. “How long are we staying in the Falls?” He propositioned and might’ve raised a brow at her if he could have. “Just for the night?”
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