Gods he was infuriating. Instead of acting like every typical male she had ever encountered, Khyber is… different. Her venom-soaked words, which generally draw defensive responses, are met with amusement. Her threats and warnings that usually illicit battles of action are met with snide remarks and, so far, leave her speechless and even angrier. For the first time in her life, Khar’pern feels like the foolish filly she had once been, wanting to jump straight at his throat if only to catch him off guard and silence him. It takes every ounce of restraint she has, to keep her hooves planted firmly on stiff legs.

She knows he is baiting her, she knows that his words are meant to draw the very response that screams in every fiber of her being. Despite that, she cannot let it slide. Maybe it is the cocky smirk on his handsome lips or the way his chocolate forelock falls easily over one dark eye. Maybe it is a combination of the season and the sharpening of her own emotions that find his bite… attractive. Whatever the reason, regardless of her attraction, Khar’pern refuses to show it. Refuses to let him win even an inch in this conversation.

Raven-tipped ears disappear beneath the curling tendrils of her charcoal mane as the exotic mare scoffs, giving her finely dished head a hard shake as if to rid herself of the very image his words drew to life. Her? Bowed before him? Glacier eyes glitter as ashen lips peel back, and a deep-tenured growl lingers deep in her throat. ”Over my dead body!” she snarls, her dark whipcord lashing vigorously back and forth as the anger boils within her.

Despite her attempts to keep distance between them, if only to prevent either party from attempting something foolish, the beast continues to step forward. Not for the first time, he reminds her of the tawny cats that lurk in the high reaches of the mountains. Sneaky. Even the glitter of his auburn eyes is the same as he ignores the warning of her snapping jaws and entirely defensive posture.

The low chuckle rumbles deep in his chest, causing his brown and white skin to shudder in the sunlight that dapples through the trees above. Heat blossoms anew beneath her skin as her brows furrow and lithe legs dance stiffly beneath her. He tries to convince her that she had planned this interaction, that this closeness had been her ultimate goal. The warmth of his hot breath lingers in the small space between them, causing her nostrils to flutter. ’My trinket….’ Those two words are enough to douse whatever heat and energy is building between them. Regardless of how infuriatingly attractive she found him, he was still a lagoon stallion. He still treated mares like chattel and saw her as such. He would never see her as equal in his eyes, just as she would force herself to ignore the interest that drew herself into his charms and wiles. An angry scream erupts from her parted lips as the dawn-dappled mare launches forward, slamming her hooves down in front of his and using the weight of her forward thrust to hopefully shove him backward. ”NO!” she growls, her voice dropping an octave as the blood pulses through her veins. ”I did NOT know you had a specific trinket....” she spits the last word like poison from her tongue. The Arabian mare jerks her neck towards him in hopes of connecting the hard bone of her forehead against the sensitive tissue of his muzzle. ”I merely saw a mare in need of rescuing from the likes of YOU!” She punctuates again this time, she drops her head to snake her teeth toward the soft flesh of his throat. It is a foolish attempt and leaves her open for retaliation she knows. However, the very idea that she enjoyed fighting, both physically and mentally, with this painted mutt overshadows all other senses. What’s worse is that he is making it quite clear even HE knows it.

”I left her in the mountains so you couldn’t corrupt her with your backwoods way of thinking.” she finishes breathlessly, letting her chiseled muzzle linger near his skin, inhaling deeply his musky woodsy scent and letting it be the balm to stoke the furnace burning within. ”I would not want HER to be disappointed too.” The bite is muted only by the wicked smile that adorns her lips. ”It wasn’t exactly a memorable experience.” she finishes, her silver ooids glimmering.