Common

Abraxas had no prior experience with mares that could have guided this interaction; he had only the colorful images in his mind that painted a set of expectations for how it might go. He expected the mare to rouse gently, for her eyes to flutter open, for her to let out a soft gasp, her breath clouding in the frigid air. He would have murmured to her in soothing tones, and she would have smiled at him, and that would have been that. She would have been his, and he would have been hers, and he would have returned to the Lagoon with her at his shoulder, his head high and his legs stepping proudly.

Instead the mare screamed at him. Abraxas jerked his head up, his sleepy hazel eyes flying open. The mare looked at him like he was a rabid wolf as she scurried several paces away, spitting profanities that would have rivalled any Lagoon Bachelor's vocabulary. Abraxas blinked, his lips parted in dumbfoundment. His chest hurt like she'd kicked him right in the sternum. This was not how this was supposed to go.

"Easy," he said gently, taking one slow step closer. His mind raced in its search for the right words that could rectify this situation. His heart hammered in his chest; he wanted to yell Hey! Chill out! but knew that would only exacerbate her fear. Somehow he managed a smile. "My name is Abraxas, but you can call me Brax. I'm really sorry for scaring you, but… you're new here right? Do you know where you are? This isn't a safe place for beautiful ladies like yourself to be taking naps. I was making sure no one else came close."