I'd left them both in the dusty sandbox they called home, fully expecting to never see the gray stallion again. In truth, I wasn't particularly concerned either way, though it would certainly look better for me if he did come back to the Lagoon. The elections were on the horizon, after all, and I'd already had Thranduil sniffing around my position in the past. After a long layoff, I needed to prove I was still worthy of my title.

So, when I heard my voice being called, I didn't assume it was him. He had a nice cushy spot with a pretty red mare and hadn't exactly seemed eager to see me again. I couldn't blame him, all things considered.

I answered my summons with a low, lazy call of my own and meandered toward it without major haste. It didn't seem like a battle cry and it wasn't the voice of one of the various mares I'd gathered to me over time so it didn't feel particularly urgent until I saw who it was. A low whistle escaped my lips as I sauntered closer, a smirk curling on my lips. "Welcome back... brother." I greeted, my tone lighter than usual as I looked upon him. "Finally come back to your senses, did you?"

I don't push in on him, leaving him plenty of room to extricate himself from the knee-deep water he was standing in. My hip tilted as I watched him, trying to work out the thoughts behind the complicated expression on his face. Really, it was too bad that Garmr had decided to step down, all things considered. The whole claim-a-stallion and earn a mare gambit had worked out rather well for me, despite the other men occasionally getting too handsy for their own good.

"I didn't expect you to show up so quickly," I say, implying - falsely - that I had assumed he was coming at all. Personally, the fiery red mare looked like she was fun to mess with to me, so I couldn't really blame the man for being drawn to her. It reminded me that the Peak was well overdue a visit from yours truly and I made a mental note to rectify that as soon as Rutger was settled.

Stallion - Adult - 15.2 - Brown Overo