Warm Eyes, Clouded Hearts.

[Saz]

A low snort rippled from her russet muzzle as she grazed in the company of her son. Wolfgang glanced up, watching his mother for a moment before catching sight of Remington and whinnying to his brother. The bay two year old drew up beside the yearling and whickered quietly in greeting to him. "You wanna go find Anthem and Ronon and see if they wanna play?" Wolfgang asked, pricking his ears up and dancing on the spot. Remington glanced toward Indy who just swished her tail and continued to graze on the shoots of grass beneath the snow before nodding and moving off in the direction of the shore, where he had last seen their siblings.

The chestnut mare watched the two colts leave in silence before sighing in quiet relief. Shifting in place, she kicked at her stomach in irritation as the foal shifted, kicking at her sides. She stood there, grazing for a little while longer until the foal became too energetic and the mare circled instinctively before turning toward the woods and jogging in to the cover they offered. Soon, the mare was shifting, circling and pacing as the familiar throws of labour ran through her. It seemed as though this birth wouldn't nearly be as easy as it had been with Wolfgang.

Cobra patrolled the borders of his land with an easy stride, his head bobbing along with each step and his hooves moving easily through the left over snow as the spring sun shone down upon them. He spotted Alanna and Siberia grazing not far from the center of his terra. He picked up a smooth jog and made his way toward them, nickering softly to his offspring as they bolted past, eager to play with the others. He whickered to his mares and came to a halt, gently brushing his muzzle against Alanna's neck before peering round to see where Phoenix had gotten to. The chestnut mare was still rebuilding her life after what had happened to Dune. He just hoped she wasn't too depressed, it had been hard on them all, but he needed to keep the herd together and healthy. And that meant keeping Phoenix from going over the edge.

[Swede]

The water was high up on the shore, as the lake was still swollen with the spring snowmelt. It was icy cold, but the sun was warm and Ronon still had a few patches of his winter coat left, making him resemble a half-shorn bear. The two year old splashed in the shallows, wading into the lake until it reached his chest and stirring up a ruckus. It didn't matter; no one was close enough to be disturbed by it. Striding up onto the pebbled land, the young stallion laid down and rolled vigorously, catching the last clumps of wet, dull fur among the rocks and tugging them loose easily. Standing up, he shook himself off and walked down to the water again, his newly cleaned coat gleaming in the sunlight as he lowered his head for a drink. Siberia and Alanna had low patience for a rowdy juvenile stallion in their presence as it was, and being so late in their pregnancies, he knew better than to go within a hundred strides of those ticking hormonal bombs. Anthem wasn't any good company either; she had gone into her first heat and though he knew better than to show interest in his half-sister, her scent befuddled his mind something terrible and made him fidgety. Besides, her sudden mood swings made her difficult to be around anyway- teasing him one moment and biting him the next. Hmph. Mares were... interesting, for sure, and if he had less respect for the teeth of both Cobra and his harem, Ronon might have dared to be more cheeky. But they were also completely crazy.

Around the curve of the beach, Anthem grazed quietly near Phoenix. Her own mother had gotten annoyed at her earlier, which put Anthem in a worse mood than it might normally have done; after that, Ronon had nipped at her mane even though she obviously wasn't in the mood for such mischief, and she'd chased him halfway down the shoreline with bared teeth. But then she had found herself feeling lonely, and wandered over to Phoenix instead. The chestnut mare was quiet and reserved, but perhaps she was just avoiding the moody pregnant mares like everyone else. Phoenix was noticeably rounded herself, but she was the sort who mellowed out when pregnant, rather than becoming crabby. She was a bit ribbier than the others, but had also always been the slowest to gain weight back after winter, so it was difficult for Anthem to judge to what extent her state of mind had affected her. But she had greeted Anthem with a cordial nicker before resuming her grazing, and the filly wasn't in the mood for mindless chatter anyway, so she had settled down nearby to nibble at the grass in silent companionship.

Though Dune was gone and had left only sad memories in her place, winter had taken the sharp edge off the pain, leaving a chasm of dull grief in the chestnut mare. She still had no desire to feel cheerful just yet, but she wasn't below civility, and did not mind Anthem's presence. She was just glad that the filly adopted a silent approach; Phoenix was wrapped up in her own thoughts, and a growing anxiety. Cobra's memories of what had happened before were flawed; Viper killed Dune, and that was what had happened. But he had not seen the one who had actually had the intent to do so, and then chosen to let her own body destroy her instead. He had not seen the one who had taken his mare with the intent of creating Dune's sibling. And Phoenix had not dared to tell him. She was sick with fear; what would Cobra do if he found out that this foal was not his own? He had treated Dune well, but fillies often enjoyed a greater immunity, and the situation was a bit different now; Dune hadn't been the result of an intruder waltzing in and enjoying himself with an unguarded mare. The foal's very existence would hurt Cobra's already damaged pride. And moreover... Phoenix had lied to him. She had chosen not tell him about the dunalino- and worse, she had allowed herself to be seduced, and not offered any resistance. He would not be pleased about that.

And yet, the possibility remained that it was in fact Cobra's offspring after all. She had avoided the others partly due to her wish to wallow alone in her grief, but also partly to avoid opportunities for questions. She had not come to the breeding canyon after all, but that did not need to mean anything; it was not so uncommon for a stallion to breed his mares within his territory, and that was what the others assumed had happened. And perhaps it had- she could not really remember. It was quite possible Cobra had covered her before Dune's death; five minutes were easily forgotten in the span of long hours of spring or summer from a year past. But he must have. Surely he had. This could easily be Cobra's offspring; maybe he would remember, even if she didn't. Or even if he didn't, he had no reason to suspect anyone else. To his knowledge, the only other stallion in the territory had been Viper. Would he suspect Viper? No, more likely he would assume he had forgotten, if he thought about it at all... in any case, it didn't matter. Cobra's foal. It was Cobra's foal.

Alanna and Siberia did not have such concerns to worry about. Their biggest worries were keeping themselves fed, and that was not too difficult on the island's abundant grasses. Their foals would be strong, and their milk rich. As Cobra approached, Siberia did not do much more than flick an ear in his direction, before continuing to forage. Alanna raised her head, but flattened her ears when the stallion nuzzled her and shook him off. She felt restless and irritated, and was not in the mood for any sort of close contact. Flicking her tail, the pinto mare strode off, leaving Cobra in the dubious company of Siberia. She meandered aimlessly across the island, pausing here and there to graze but soon setting off again, too agitated to stand still. Eventually, Alanna understood that her time had come, as her restlessness shifted into the beginnings of contractions. Soon she found herself a place that was secluded but still had a good view of the surroundings, and submitted herself to a relatively easy labor. It was over quickly, and she stood to inspect the newborn. It was a colt, whose coat was mostly bay, though his entire face was white as well his legs, and a few discreet spots on his sides. The mare cleaned him up with an expert tongue, and soon had the newborn up on his hooves.

[Saz]

The bay stallion loosed a deep sigh as Alanna shrugged him off and meandered away from the main herd, disappearing from his sight with purposeful, strong strides. He shook out his long mane, glanced toward Siberia before thinking better of it and moving off at a slow, calm walk. He spotted Phoenix and Anthem not too far from the shoreline, where Ronon was splashing around in the depths. He knew he would have to keep a close eye on both he and Remington, he wouldn't put it past them to try it on with one of the mares next spring.

He was quite surprised that there hadn't been any attempts this year, but he supposed that they knew better than to try it on with a hormonal mare like Alanna or Siberia. And Phoenix was Ronon's mother, and Indy was almost the same to Remington. Whickering a soft welcome to Anthem, he ghosted his muzzle over her shoulder before skirting around her and coming to stand beside the chestnut mare. She was far safer to be around during the seasons that the mares were pregnant, as, rather than becoming crabby and unpredictable, she was mellow and calm.

Which was a nice change from the hormonal time bombs that were Alanna, Siberia, Indy and sometimes even Anthem. He nickered softly to Phoenix and gently pressed his muzzle against her neck, nuzzling her lovingly before glancing toward his sons as they erupted in squeals, wrestling each other to the ground in the lake. "Are you okay, Phoenix?" He asked softly, voice holding a deep, slightly sympathetic quality to it as he returned his gaze to the chestnut mare. Their conversation was cut off however when a trembling bellow ripped through the calm, relaxed silence, sending the herd into almost immediate fright and caution.

~*~*~

"Raaaah!" Remington growled deeply, launching himself at Ronon from the shallows of the lake and splashing down next to his brother. Water engulfed them both with a tremendous crash, soaking both two year olds to the bone. Wolfgang could be heard in hysterics from the shoreline, the yearling had his legs spread like a newborn to keep him from collapsing as he laughed at the sight of his two now-drenched brothers. The drenched two year old whirled round at the sound of laughter and grinned broadly at Wolfgang before springing toward the younger colt and knocking him over in the shallower water.

He surfaced almost immediately, spluttering and gasping for breath. He hadn't minded paddling in the chilly water, but taking a bath was a whole different story! Their play was cut off by a deep, trembling roar that shook Wolfgang to his core. He glanced at Remington and then immediately made a beeline toward Indy who was standing with her ears pricked warily, eyes searching the land for the source of the sound. She spotted a familiar chestnut and her throat immediately tightened and she sent off at an awkward but quick paced jog to where Phoenix, Siberia and the others were. It was best to be together in a situation such as this.

~*~*~

Cobra loosed a low, dangerous snort and immediately screamed back a response, ears flattened, eyes narrowing into dangerous, fiery slits. "Remington. Ronon. Protect the mares." He growled, tail lashing fiercely and he moved off at a smooth, ground eating lope directly toward the oncoming chestnut. "You should not have returned, Viper!" He called to the russet stallion, but received no reply that he could determine, only a mixture of snarls. The two stallions collided with the sound of a dull, painful thud. The screamed at each other fiercely, biting and tearing at the necks and whatever else they could get their teeth on. The broke apart within a minute and then collided once more, blood streaming from the small tears in their pelts.

Cobra, the stronger, thicker set of the two managed to use his bulkier build to his advantage, he shoved directly into Viper, knocking the stallion off balance and causing him to go up onto his hind legs and hook a foreleg over his withers to keep his legs from sliding out from under him. The bay thoroughbred struck viciously, teeth tearing at the tender belly of the chestnut and then burying themselves in the upper thigh of the russet stallion's left hind leg. Viper screamed out in furious pain, ripping himself away from the bay stallion after administering a few of his own deep gashes into the bay's back and shoulder. They circled one another once more, eyes flashing dangerously as they attempted to work out the weak spots in the defense of their opponent.

Suddenly, Cobra was almost knocked off his hooves as Viper rammed into his shoulder and then took off at high speed. The bay stallion stumbled sideways, pain rippling up his right foreleg as it twisted under him. His ears flattened and adrenaline kicked in as he saw the chestnut streak toward his mares. "DON'T YOU DARE!" He roared at the top of his voice, the furious bellow carrying to the russet stallion and seemed to fuel him on. Cobra caught to his former best friend but at a cost, Viper had struck Remington with a glaring blow to the shoulder. The colt cried out and stumbled back but Indy took that opening to lash out and strike Viper across the muzzle with a fore hoof. He wasn't getting anywhere near her son.

The chestnut stallion wheeled back, stunned by the blow. He attempted to blink the black dots from his gaze but with a vicious blow from Cobra, the stallion was rammed sideways, away from the gathered horses and off his hooves. Viper rolled in the sand, gasping for breath and attempting to clear his dotted vision. Suddenly pain in his side made him focus on the presence above him and he lashed out, hitting something by pure luck and he struggled to his hooves. Swaying slightly as he did. A low roar alerted him to Cobra's attack and he reared up, only to be knocked over backward, landing hard on his back and knocking the wind right out of him. Viper gasped for breath, attempting to regain his breath and then blinding pain and... nothing. With an enraged roar, the bay thoroughbred reared up and brought down his front hooves on the stallion's head.

Viper was no more than an almost unrecognizable body on the sandy floor. The bay tossed his head and breathed harshly, sweat glistening across his pelt as he stared down at the former stallion. Cobra sighed deeply, some relief flowing over him and he turned away, turning his back on his past, ready to leave it behind him and continue his nice, pleasant life. Blood splashed his bay pelt, some of it his, but some of it not. His white socks were unseen as he moved back toward his herd, stride slightly hindered by his pained foreleg and the deep gashes that flecked his pelt. He nodded silently to his herd before limping down to the water and beginning to wash out his wounds and wash off the blood before it stained his coat.

He then turned his attention to the two mares and yearling who had accompanied Viper here. He scanned them briefly with a calm, tired gaze before clearing his throat. "You are welcome to stay here, I am Cobra. My lead mare is Alanna. If you wish to stay you will find out the names of everyone else as you meet them. I am sorry that he hurt you, and became a monster that I had to destroy. But sometimes the true world does that to horses." He paused, glancing to the yearling before motioning to the rest of the herd. "Come, you should at least rest for a day or two after such an ordeal like that." He murmured, before turning and slowly limping back toward the others.

[Snappin' Turtle]

Alter stopped at the edge of the trees. She had a vantage point of a nice sized clearing, obviously where Viper and the bay stallion were going to do battle. The palomino watched, hoping and praying that Viper would get struck down. After all he had done to them, killed Envy. He deserved to suffer and die. Though Alter prefered Viper would get a painful, slow death she would be happy with any death as all. She winced as the stallions collided, but waited with baited breath as the fight ensued. The palomino gasped as Viper ran towards the mares and children and smirked when the mare attacked the stallion. Alter did a small rear of glee as Viper was struck down. She smiled and nodded at Cobra. "I am Alter Reality, though I am known as Alter." she said, bowing her head in respect to the stallion. The palomino trotted after the stallion and touched her nose to his shoulder as she came up beside him. "Thansk." she said, that one word expressing all the thoughts tumbling through her mind.

Lady stood beside her best friend, watching as the stallions collided and bit and screamed. The grey mare watched, eyes glued to the fight not able to tear her eyes away. The luisitano mare gasped on multilpe occasions, afraid Viper was about to win. Her eyes grew huge as Viper sped towards the mares and foals. Lady hated herself for not being able to fend him off as he attacked a young stallion. Lady stomped her hoof in trumph when Viper went down under a flurry of pounding hooves. She smiled at Cobra. "Im Lady Mischeif, though I go by Lady." she said, introducing herslef with a grateful look and nod of her head. Lady followed behind Alter and Cobra whispering soothing words to Rabia, reminding her what he had done to Envy.

Rabia watched as ruby red blood splattered the grass, the scent spreading around the whole area. The dapple grey yearling buried her head in Lady's mane, tears streaming down her face. Even though Viper had killed her best friend and tortured her friends and family he was like a father to her. And he had been a good one until he went totally and utterly beserk. She had just turned her head back when Viper rushed the mares and young ones and gasped. She noticed the light bay colt was handsome.. wait. Why was she thinking about that at such a time? The yearling shook her head and winced as the chestnut stallion fell to the deadly pounding of the bays hooves. The dapple grey yearling choked back a sob and bowed her head to the victorious stallion. "Rabia." she said, her voice a shaky, barely audible whisper. The young dapple grey mare followed her mother, eyes blank. "I know what he did, mom! She was my best friend!" she squealed, her voice breaking. Rabia turned and sped off into the trees, tears streaming down her face as the relaization of Envy's death fully hit her. She ignored her mothers calls, needing to be alone.

[Swede]

Phoenix flicked a careful glance at Cobra as he came closer, but sensed nothing out of the usual. His question was a perfectly natural one, wasn't it? "Um-" But her answer was cut short by a bone-chilling roar. "No," she whispered weakly, gazing in horror as Cobra sprinted to meet the attacker. Not him, not him. Why had he returned? Fear paralyzed her body, and the sudden adrenaline made her feel as if her heart was about to beat itself right out of her chest. The foal in her belly kicked out violently, sensing its mother's agitation.

Ronon reared and emitted a mock stallion scream as his brother attacked him from the water. As the two other colts tackled and wrestled each other in the freezing lake, he took a sloshing step towards them to exact his revenge. However, the young bay was immediately distracted by a vicious sound which seemed to send ice through his veins. At his father's command, Ronon wheeled around and splashed out of the water, moving with swift strides towards his mother and the other mares. Anthem whickered anxiously and wiggled herself in between the older females; though she was a growing filly, soon a young mare, she couldn't help but wish that her mother was here. Ronon paced nervously a few steps in front of those he had been charged with protecting, watching his father as he ran to face his challenger. "It's him," he said with sudden fury, "It's Viper. The bastard killed my sister!" Just as he moved forward, Phoenix suddenly bit the colt's flank sharply, eliciting a startled squeal. "You stay here," she snapped harshly, "Let your father deal with it." The thought of Viper taking another of her offspring was something she couldn't stomach.

Alanna raised her head swiftly upon hearing the echoes of a familiar voice, twisted with rage and hatred. Viper; he was not near her, and seemed to be moving away. Cobra was quick to answer, and thus the stallions would perhaps be kept occupied. Nonetheless, one could never be too careful; she firmly nudged her newborn colt into the shadowed roots of a nearby bush, keeping her head low and her body motionless. If she was seen, she would have to run for it, and hopefully draw an attacker away from Firebrand before he was discovered in his hiding place. Time passed; then, there was silence. Alanna did not know whether she dared approach the herd- how had things gone? Was Cobra's final scream the end of the battle, or the end of his life?

Like a ghost, Siberia suddenly appeared over the hilltop. The white mare strode straight towards Alanna. "It's safe now," she said without pausing in her stride, and then continued on past and towards the center of the island. Alanna nodded, and tugged on Firebrand's fluffy mane, getting him out of the shadows and up on his feet. The colt walked on unsteady hooves as she guided him back to the herd, his mother still keeping a wary eye out despite Siberia's reassurance.

[Saz]

The bay stallion nodded back to the two mares and watched silently as the yearling took off into the trees, he sighed deeply before nickering to Remington, "Go after her would you. Make sure she stays out of trouble." He snorted, before turning to scan his tired gaze over the herdlands. He watched at the grey mare disappeared into the trees and not too long after his lead mare appeared. He sighed in relief and then a joyous smile lit up his tired, battered face. He moved away from his herd to greet the pinto and their son. "Alanna!" He nickered, relieved to have her back in his sight and close by. He slowed to a halt not too far away and let the mare and foal come to him. He then lowered his head, gently sniffing his newest offspring and then nuzzling him in welcome. "Welcome to the herd, little one." He nickered softly, before lifting his head and gently touching noses with Alanna. "What did you name him?" He asked softly, the terror and tribulations forgotten for the moment as he focused on his newborn son.

Remington nodded to his father and turned, loping off into the forest, wincing slightly with each step as the wound on his shoulder was tugged and moved. Luckily, Viper had only just broken the skin with his hoof, so there was little blood, and mostly just bruising. And eventually with each stride the pain faded to a dull ache. He quickly caught up with the grey yearling and his breath caught in his throat, she was beautiful, even when she was crying and hurt. Immediately his heart yearned to soothe her hurt and her sadness, a gentle nicker rippled from his maw and the two year old stepped toward the filly until his muzzle touched her neck. "H-hey... D-don't cry... P-please..." The light bay nickered, stumbling over his words and stuttering as he spoke. He then blushed a deep red, glancing down at his hooves as he attempted to soothe the beautiful filly.

The chestnut mare shifted uncomfortably near the others as finally the battle ended and introductions were given from the mares that were, until recently, Viper's. She let out a soft nicker to them, before turning and loping away, she needed some space. Perhaps lashing out at Viper like that hadn't been a good idea. As she reached the trees, she stumbled, and then landed roughly on her side. Grunting softly, the chestnut mare made to get to her hooves but a rough pain splintered through her, causing her to cry out and squirm in the sand. The birth was long and arduous but eventually the chestnut mare was relieved of the pains and had a few moments to breathe. Finally Indy stumbled to her hooves and inspected her foal. Her heard stuttered and then she collapsed in the sand beside the foal, tears streaming down her face. "No, no, no, no." She moaned, half sobbing, half screaming at the limp filly. There was no breath or heartbeat to the beautiful foal. She was dead. Indy spent ten minutes sobbing and moaning in the sand before stumbling to her hooves and gently cleaning the foal before burying her shallowly in the sand. With her heart aching, the chestnut turned and went to find Cobra. He deserved to know what had happened to their daughter, their Rodan.

[Snappin' Turtle]

Alter Reality followed the lead stallion happily, glad they had been relieved of that horrid chestnut stallion. The palomino luisitano mare nickered back tot eh chestnut mare that appeared and stopped behind Cobra when he met with a mare and a foal- apparently Alanna and their son. She stood awkwardly before passing them, smiling at them and nodding lightly and heading to the young ones in the trees. She stopped at the treeline and looked back for her best friend. She frowned slightly when she noticed Rabia had run off. Who knew what prowled these trees? Viper was just an example of that. She touched a reasuring nose to Lady's shoulder.

Lady Mischief smiled at the small colt and then at her slightly distended belly with a small frown. She was glad she would have a foal come spring, she just didnt like that it was Viper's. Sure, she ahd been ready enough to breed him when he was sane but now that he was deemed insane and was killed it didnt seem like the best legacy to pass on to your children. The grey mare called after Rabia, but nodded when the colt went after her, apparently Remington. Maybe he could even be her first friend here. She followed after her bolder palomino friend and stopped beside her, accepting her touch. She shifted on her hooves slightly, suddenly awkward. Lady brought her maw down to the grass and bit off a few mouthfuls before bringing her head back up.

Rabia glanced sideways at the hoofbeats coming towards her. She was in no shape to fight off anyone. Her blue eyes widened lightly when the colt showed himself. He was better looking up close. The dapple grey filly stiffled a sob. Her body stiffened when he touched her but accepted his presense. The luisitano filly gave the colt a light smile through her tears, then sobered and tears welled up in her glacier blue eyes again. "H-he just killed my sister.. s-she was my best friend." Rabia stuttered, having believed Envy was her sister all this time. She buried her face in the colts mane, before pulling away embarrasedly. "Sorry.. oh my gosh! Are you okay?" she gasped, inspecting the wound on her shoulder. She nosed around it worriedly. Rabia pulled away, blushing heavily. "Umm.. Im Rabia." she said, looking down at her hooves.

[Swede]

Alanna paused as Cobra approached her. She flicked an ear towards him, but her eyes scanned the territory, attempting to piece together the sequence of events through what she could see. "His name's Firebrand," she said distractedly in response to the stallion's question, lowering her muzzle to brush a stray bit of grass from the colt's back. Looking up again, the pinto mare frowned slightly. "What happened?" she asked, her tone leaving no room for abandoning the topic until her need for information was satisfied. Alanna did not like being in the dark about things that went on in her homeland, particularly if they could pose a threat to her newborn. Cobra could cuddle with the colt later; for now he had best bring his lead mare up to date. "And who are they?" she added, flicking her piercing gaze towards the strangers who passed by.

She could not stand here anymore. Phoenix needed to leave, now, and before Ronon had any time to question the mare, she wheeled around and trotted rapidly away from the others. There were Cobra and Alanna; she steered her course well clear of them, cutting behind clumps of bushes and little trees as she crossed the island. She caught Siberia's scent, and dodged away from it. Farther and farther she went, pausing now and then to catch her panicked breath before continuing on. Soon she realized she was approaching the border to the neighboring lands, and emitted a tiny whimper of frustration. Her herd was out of sight and sound, far away, and yet it wasn't far enough. Couldn't the border continue for a few more miles? But even it it had, it made no difference, as Phoenix was abruptly forced to her knees. She was not sure to what degree the twisting in her belly was the effects of her labor, and what was due to her anxiety. Soon enough, the chestnut mare lay flat upon her side, trembling with exhaustion and with dread. Please be dark, she thought desperately, Please look like Cobra... Finally, she knew she could not delay any longer, and lifted her head.

It was like the last sunrise before the end of the world. A pale gold, matching the yellowing grasses of autumn; terrible, horrible, and yet through her sickening despair, she could not help but fall in love with its beauty. Phoenix couldn't even pretend the foal was just a pale chestnut and would darken with age as foals often do into her own copper tone; the fluff along its crest and the tiny tail were white as a seagull's wing, and there were faint dark bars along the spindly legs. There was no way it could be Cobra's foal, no question that this was the perfect image of the stranger who had sired it.

She stood to clean off the little one, and then the second bombshell dropped: it was a colt too. Of zero use to Cobra, and moreover, a blow to his dignity to have a stranger's spawn from one of his own mares roaming his lands. Any stallion on the old desert plateau would have killed the colt immediately, and none would blame him for it. Phoenix's own father had executed the colt of a mare he'd stolen, and none considered it to be a rite any crueler than survival itself. Would Cobra do the same? She could not say. Luckily, it would be a while before she was missed; some mares took longer than others, and it wasn't rare for a new mother to want some time to herself with the baby before bringing it to the herd. She had gone far enough too that she'd take a while to find, even if someone did come searching. For a little while, at least, she could postpone the inevitable. Perhaps hide the colt somewhere? Oh, she didn't know...


Ronon twisted his head around when Phoenix left, but figured it was probably best to let her leave. His attention was distracted anyway, as some of the strangers who had arrived with Viper began coming in their direction. The bay two year old stepped forward warily; if they were with Viper, he wasn't sure that they could be trusted, though Cobra had accepted them apparently. Something shoved against his shoulder, and he nipped sideways, irritated at Anthem for being so pushy. "Would it kill you to walk a foot to the right?" he growled.

"Well your big butt is always in the way no matter where I go," she answered sourly. "And who are they?"

"How should I know? Indy, do you-" Oh. Indy wasn't here either. "Well, I don't know," he continued, "But if you're so curious, why don't you go ask?" Anthem stared at her half-brother evenly. She didn't really want to just waltz up to a pair of strangers; but she didn't want him to think she was chicken, either. "Why don't you go?"

"You're the one who wants to know!" he said exasperatedly.

"You do too, you were thinking it anyway!"

Had Siberia been present, she probably would've given each of the two year olds a bite on the shoulder to shut up their squabbling, but luckily for their health and her sanity, she was far across the hill. The big-boned mare was picky with her stallions, but foaled easily on the rare occasion she'd actually decided someone was good enough, and the ordeal was over quickly. It was a little filly, a pale buckskin who almost looked like a washed-out version of Cobra, but her coat was fainter around her eyes and Siberia suspected she would grey out. Ah well, time would tell, and color wasn't really something important to fuss about anyway. With brisk actions, she cleaned up the newborn and nudged her to her hooves, giving her enough time to figure it out but not letting her waste time on flopping around needlessly. The little one had a herd to get back to, after all.

[Saz]

A deep sigh rippled through his frame and unconsciously his gaze traveled across the land, unseeing until he blink and realized that he was staring at Viper's final resting place. "Viper returned. He was bloodthirsty and attempted to harm myself and some of the others. I had to take him down, he was too much of a threat to myself and everyone else to just throw out of the land again. Every one is fine so far though, Remington has a scratch on his shoulder from getting a little too involved in protecting the others, but other than that, we should be alright." He replied, brown eyes returning to the face of his beloved lead mare.

"Those two are his mares he brought, he planned to take over if he killed me. So I offered them haven here, they need it, he forcebred them both. There was a yearling filly with them too, Rem is with her in the forest somewhere. The fight was too much for her to stomach." The bay stallion sighed deeply and shook his head before flicking his gaze up to the slowly darkening sky. "We'll give Phoenix and the others another few hours to get acquainted with their little ones and then I'll go out and look for them. We need to have everyone together by the time this snow decides to fall." He added, dropping his head and gently lipping at Firebrand's tufty mane before glancing up as he heard Ronon and Anthem begin squabbling.

Lashing his tail in vague irritation, the bay thoroughbred advanced toward the pair, head lowered, ears flattened and teeth bared as he moved. He didn't need these two squabbling on top of all this drama that was already unfolding upon his herd. He divided the two year olds with a few hard nips to their shoulders and an irritated look. "Break it up you two. If you want to squabble do it where I can't hear you." He snorted, glancing between Ronon and Anthem. He was about to speak once more when he caught movement out the corner of his eye.

He swung away from the two year olds and nickered a soft greeting to Indy. He moved forward to greet her as she drunkenly stumbled down the sand bank and almost fell to her knees. She fell into him with the need of urgent affection and he soothed her softly before pulling away and asking her what had happened. "Sh-she... she w-was-n't a-alive." The mare hiccuped, tears streaming down her cheeks and she buried her face into Cobra's mane. The thoroughbred's heart gave an unpleasant lurch and he stood frozen as the chestnut mare sobbed her grief into his shoulder.

"Indy..." The stallion began to coo, but the chestnut warmblood drew away, doubt and pain in her eyes and present in every line of her bodice. "Cobra... I-... I can't do this... She died because of Viper... I can't live in a herd where danger haunts me..." She uttered the words, eyes accusing Cobra silently of the grief she was now going through. "Indy! What-" He was cut off by the chestnut mare taking another step back and shaking her head, "I can't..." She murmured before spinning on her heels and charging away toward the sandbar. She got half-way across when she heard a splash behind her, the mare whirled around, eyes wide with fury but the grief mostly drowned it out. "Wolfgang, you will stay here." She ordered the yearling who currently had one hoof on the sandbar and one in mid-air, frozen as she spoke. And then without another word, Indy bolted off across the rest of the sand, spurring it up in all directions as she fled from the place she had once called home.

Remington glanced up in a shocked motion as she suddenly fell into him, sobbing deeply into his neck. The two year old colt froze, unsure how exactly to deal with an emotional filly. She then pulled away, apologizing awkwardly and he cleared his throat, a deep blush forming over his cheeks. He flinched slightly as she then swung back toward him, nosing around his wound and the pain presented itself again in his mind. Clearing his throat once more, Remington smiled softly. "N-n-n-" He paused, huffing in frustration before forcing out the words. "Nice t-to meet y-you, R-r-rabia." He answered, stumbling over his words continuously as he spoke. "I-I'm R-remington." He answered, bobbing his head slightly before blushing once more as he met her gaze.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The palomino mare looked over at the young ones as they talked about her and her friend. "Im Alter and this is Lady." she said, nodding her head and gesturing to the grey dun mare. She swished her pristine white tail, flicking it across Lady's rump as she spotted a fly. The lusitano mare took a glance around again before bringing her muzzle to the ground, needing to feed the young one growing inside of her. Though Viper ahd forcebred her and her friend, she would still care and love this foal like it wasnt the result of a insane chestnut stallion she had once been infatuated with.

She watched Cobra chatting with a mare and her foal and shifted on her hooves. they ahdnt met the lead amre and she knew they should but she didnt know who anyone was, let alone how they would take to her. Lady nickered a thank you to her more diminate friend and stepped closer to the treaes, feeling everyone was talking about them, the young ones nearby certainly were. The grey mre stomped her hoof lightly, she needed to find Rabia soon, though Viper has sent that colt after her, though who knew what they were doing now, she thought with a small frown as her motherly protectiveness kicked in.

The dark grey filly cocked her head to the side as the colt fouhgt to make himself clear. She held out her nose to him and gave him a light smile. "Its n-nice to meet you too." she said, laughing. "Thats a nice name, Remington." the yearling filly went on, looking up at the sky as snow filtered down. The lusitano frowned slightly. "I hate winter." she grumped, pawing the ground lightly. "Who is everyone, anyway?" Rabia asked, looking up at Remignton with her blue eyes that could seem to sparkle and twinkle when she laughed and smiled.

[Swede]

(OOC: note, since these babies got very little "baby time", they'll still be babies this next year too, instead of yearlings, so I'm just going to continue treating them as newborns for now even though technically they'd be almost a year old at this point in the timeline)

Ronon flicked his ears back and skipped sideways as Cobra dealt out his discipline. The pair stood in surly silence until the stallion was gone. "Nice going moron, you got us in trouble," Anthem grumbled. "You started it!" Ronon shot back. The filly hmphed and looked away from him; heaving a sigh, Ronon turned his attention back to the two unknown mares. The strangers solved the dilemmas of whether to strike up a chat or not, by introducing themselves first. "Hello, I'm Ronon," the bay two year old said cordially. Anthem, though still firmly ignoring Ronon, was far more interested in the pair of mares. "My name is Anthem," she added, "Nice to meet you both."

Alanna snorted softly, eyeing Viper's fallen form with cold distaste. She did not like things which disrupted the smooth runnings of her herd. The bay overo mare took in Cobra's words without interrupting, and let him continue on with his duties without any further distractions on her part. There was nothing to discuss; things were as they were, and reliving old memories wouldn't erase them. Instead, she gave Firebrand a gentle nudge to get him going, and began making her slow way towards the two year olds and the unfamiliar mares; the colt was still quite young, but he was getting better at keeping up, and soon enough they were within speaking range. "Well, Anthem? Are you going to introduce me to your new friends?" Alanna said briskly.

"Um, yes I will," Anthem said quickly. "This is Lady and this is Alter. Umm, this is my mom- well her name is Alanna- and she's the lead mare here." The filly blinked and looked down at the little colt next to her mother. "Awww, he's super cute! What'd you name him?"

"Firebrand," Alanna answered, nudging the colt forward a step. "Careful, he's still a little unsteady. Lady and Alter... well, as she says, my name is Alanna. I hope you'll be able to settle in well, I can't imagine that living with Viper was too pleasant, and I suppose these recent events have been fairly traumatic... Cobra is a good stallion though, he'll take care of you. Far too sentimental for his own good, sometimes, but some mares like that sort of thing, and it's better than being tyrannical in any case."

Siberia paused as the others came into view. Alanna and the youngsters seemed to have clustered near the mares Viper had brought here; it took a moment before she spotted Cobra though, and beyond him, Wolfgang on the shore and Indy sprinting away. Well that was both odd and dramatic. The white mare snorted and glanced down at her filly. The pale buckskin infant snuggled close to her mother's side, peering out at the big wide world with a nonplussed stare. Siberia began walking forward again, and little Stardust immediately followed, making occasional short excursions a few feet away to get a better look at something new or strange before scurrying back to the safety of her mother.

[Saz]

Remington smiled sheepishly at the filly and shook out his long, dark mane, "Uh... W-well, Anthem and R-ronon are the same age as me... Wolfgang is a year younger and then there a-are the newborns who I haven't met yet... Alanna is the lead m-mare, then there's Siberia, and Phoenix, oh, a-and Indy." He spoke clearer this time, barely tripping over his words which surprised him, he seemed to relax in the company of this beautiful filly. He smiled softly, still slightly awestruck by Rabia. "Uh... we should be getting back. Just so your mom doesn't worry about you and such..." He murmured, a deep blush coming across his cheeks as he caught her eye once more before he turned and glanced over his shoulder, making sure she was close.

~*~*~

The bay thoroughbred sighed deeply as he watched Indy's figure disappear out of sight. A heavy weight tugged on his heart and he slowly turned his head to look at Wolfgang. "Why didn't you stop her?!" Wolfgang accused his father, tone harsh and tail lashing aggressively. "Because I had no right to. She has made her decision, it does not affect the herd directly, thus I have no choice but to let her leave." He replied calmly, watching his son with a tired, wary gaze. The two year old gritted his teeth, tears welling in his eyes as he stood frozen upon the sand bar.

Cobra turned away, sadness weighing down his heart as he did so. He then heard the pounding of hoofsteps and instinctively he whirled round, forehooves striking Wolfgang's shoulder and knocking the youngster to the floor. Immediately anger flared up inside him, he bared his teeth at the colt in a dominant manner and let loose a low, threatening snort. "Don't you dare try and strike me, boy. It was your mother's choice to leave, don't think that you are the only one affected by it. Try that again and you will leave here. Is that clear?" He growled, ears flattened into his tousled mane as he glared darkly at the two year old. Once the message sank into Wolfgang's prone form, the thoroughbred turned and prowled back toward Alanna and the others, where he had been headed before Wolfgang's temper tantrum.

He reached Alanna's side and gently brushed his muzzle against her neck, affectionate but not overstepping the lines of closeness as he knew sometimes she could be quite touchy. "Indy has left." He spoke softly, but his tone strong yet final. He did not want to talk about the subject and no doubt Alanna would deduce why after a few moments thought. "I will make a short excursion soon to see if I can boost our numbers a little. But only once Remington and Phoenix are back." He snorted softly, speaking mostly to Alanna but also to the rest of the group before he focused on Lady and Alter. "I hope you are settling in well, Rabia and Remington should be back shortly. It depends how far she went." He spoke with a soft tone, evident that he was tired and the recent events were beginning to catch up to him. He then glanced round, eyebrows raising in slight surprise as he caught sight of Siberia.

Hmm, it seemed while he had been busy with the others she had left to birth. He was admittedly glad to see her well and with a healthy foal beside her, he nickered to her softly, eyes trailing from her face to the foal. He wished to greet their offspring at that instant, but he would wait for Siberia to come to them. He didn't wish to intrude, especially with a mare like Siberia. After starting a herd with her as one of the founding mares, he knew just how much she disliked stallions sticking their noses where they didn't really belong, or where she didn't want them. No, it would be far safer to let her decide when he could greet their offspring.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The palomino mare shifted on her hooves, slightly uncomfortable. The foal had been kicking alot more lately and she knew she would have to give birth soon. The lusitano mare nodded as Ronon introduced them. "Nice to meet you." Alter said, smiling slightly. The lead mare seemed to be a little cold and unemotional but it was her life and with what had happened with Viper it seemed she wasnt a very good judge of character. She winced slightly and gave the bay overo mare a parting nod before slipping into the trees to give birth. The palomino laid down and snorted slightly. She had been a brood mare before escaping so birth wasnt anything new to her. Soon there was a foal she was licking off, eyeing suspiciously. She snorted when she realized it was a colt, and looked almost exactly like Viper. Alter Reality continued to lick off her chestnut son, making little cooing sounds. "Your name is Alliance." she said, nuzzling the newborn.

Lady Mischief smiled at the lead mare and nodded as Cobra said Rabia would be back soon. "Im sure she'll be fine, it was just that Viper was such a father figure to her and with the loss of both him and Envy was her best friend.." the grey mare trailed off, shifting on her hooves. Her palomino friend had adopted Envy as her own and her loss was a blow to all three of them. The lusitano mare nickered reassuringly to Alter as she slipped into the trees, obviously to give birth. Lady would have to go soon, also. Her little one couldnt wait forever. As her thoughts turned to her foal, she hoped that they wouldnt look like Viper, that wouldnt be good, a constant reminder of their terrible father.

The dapple grey filly nodded and listened with perked ears as Remington told her the names of her new herdmates. "Okay, Mom'll probably be worried." Rabia agreed, smiling at the bay. The lusitano filly followed behind him, looking around at the new green that had filled the forest. "Can you introduce me to the others?" she asked, her head tilted to the side slightly. Rabia flicked her tail slightly, hoping the others wouldnt judge her for running off. It had just been so much to take in in a small amount of time, anyone would have ahd to think about it, right? The filly snorted, hoping she hadnt ruined her chance at a new home and new friends, though no one could ever take Envy's place.

[Swede]

Alanna nodded at Alter as the mare politely excused herself. Hopefully, these new foals would not remind them too painfully of the injustices caused to them by Viper; with any luck, they would instead see the infants as a positive sign of better times to come ahead. Life in Cobra's herd wasn't always easy, and they had experienced their fair share of tragedies and turmoil; but that was the same for any herd. Despite any hardships they faced, it had still been easier to survive here than when traveling with Warrior, wherever he was now. She glanced in Cobra's direction as he mentioned Indy's leaving the herd, but didn't pursue the matter. It was clearly something the stallion did not wish to discuss. "Let us hope Remington and Rabia return soon, the island should be quite safe right now but still, it's not good to have the youngsters running off," she said, lowering her muzzle to nudge Firebrand gently as the colt settled down to nurse a bit. He seemed to have accepted that there were other horses around and then promptly forgotten about them, far too wrapped up in the world of a foal's problems: which, right now, focused on filling his empty tummy.


Exhaling softly, Siberia decided that she probably ought to join the others, at least for a little while. Setting off in that general direction, she made sure Stardust was able to keep up without too much trouble as they walked. Soon enough, they were close enough for basic conversation, which though often dull was often also necessary, and the white mare halted. Alanna nodded her head in greeting, and after a moment of silence, said, "She is lovely, Siberia. What is her name?"

"Stardust. Yours?"

"Firebrand."

It seemed Siberia had nothing more to say after that; Alanna was unperturbed by it, having lived with the muted white mare for many years, but she knew that for some it could be a little uncomfortable being in her presence when she had a tendency to say so little.

Ronon lifted his head, eyeing the rise of the hill carefully. "Hey, dad? Mom's been gone for a long time now..." He didn't want to voice his concerns that something may have happened to her, but nonetheless it lingered in the air. He didn't want to seem antsy, and he knew he probably had nothing to worry about, but.. just in case. Phoenix had been a tiny bit unstable lately too, what with Dune's rather traumatic death, and he just wanted to be sure she was alright.

[Saz]

Remington smiled softly at the beautiful grey filly, "Of course, no one is particularly mean-spirited, Alanna can be a little brusque and blunt at times, and Siberia will give you a nip if you get too close. But the others are all pretty friendly. Cobra is a nice guy, he won't hurt anyone unless they're deliberately causing trouble, but the same goes for Alanna I guess." He chattered endlessly as they moved back toward the main group, his nervousness now all but gone from his slender young form. As the group came into view the duo passed Cobra and Ronon, evidently on their way out to gather up whoever hadn't returned to the main body of the herd. "C'mon, I bet your mom was worried about you." He nickered quietly, speeding up to a smooth trot as he jogged toward the group of mares.

---

Cobra turned his unusually solemn gaze to Ronon as he spoke, he closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in deeply before exhaling in a slow, calm breath and taking a step toward his son. "Of course, we'll go take a look. I agree, it's beginning to get dark and I don't wish for her or the foal to be out away from the protection of the herd, especially after an event like that." He snorted, shaking his mane out and giving the mares a soft nod, "I'll be back soon. If anything happens... well, give a shout." He snorted, tossing his dark forelock from his warm gaze before gently giving his youngest daughter a fond nuzzle as he passed to go look for his missing herd member.

He passed Remington and Rabia on the way up into the trees, the bay stallion smiled inwardly at the way his son watched the younger filly, and at the look in his eyes, he knew they would make a good couple. He strode forward, he would search every nook and cranny to find the mare and foal if he had to, and he held no doubt that Ronon would join him in searching. He finally caught a whiff of Phoenix's scent and followed it as it wound desperately through the trees and the bushes until they began to near the territory borders.

He frowned slightly, speeding up into a jog and following the scent more intensely. Then finally he caught sight of a familiar russet pelt from between the trees. "Phoenix!" He called, relief flooding through him and he burst through the trees, before coming to a stuttering halt. His gaze falling from the chestnut mare and to the dunalino foal. His chest constricted and rage pooled into his heart. She had lied to him... who was the father of this foal? He was about to step forward and demand angry answers from the mare and then he regained his senses and took a step back. Gaze lifting to stare directly at the chestnut mare with an accusing gaze, "What is this?" He asked coldly, his outer shell hardening and becoming the lead stallion he had sought to become since his arrival in the wilderness. He waited patiently for her to speak, to make excuses for the appearance of this foal. She had betrayed his trust, sought out another stallion possibly, or even been forcebred, but if this was the result of an unwanted breeding then why didn't she tell him? Why did she lie?

[Snappin' Turtle]

"C'mon dear." the palomino mare murmered softly, nudging her chestnut son in the direction of the rest of the herd. She passed Lady on her way back, who was heading in the opposite direction. Alter Reality nickered comfortingly to the grey and kept walking, slowly, to make sure Alliance could keep up as he struggled to figure out how to use his stilts of legs. The lusitano mare stepped out from the trees to face Alanna and some other mare and shifted on her hooves as she nuzzled a curious Alliance, whose gaze was wide and wondering as she looked at the other foals and larger mares.

Lady smiled and nickered to her daughter as she crossed the field with Remington at her side. The grey mare flicked her tail slightly before taking a step back as the first contraction hit. "I must go." she said in a quiet voice, turning into the trees. This was nothing new to her, nothing to be learned. Lady nodded to Alter as she passed before lowering herself in the shade of a large tree. It didnt take long, the birth was an easy one and the lusiatno mare was pretty much an expert at birthing foals by now. She stood and licked off her chestnut based daughter, though Lady Mischief knew the grey would show through soon enough. "Come on love." she nickered, nudging the filly to her small hooves. "Couraja." she said, nodding once. She had given some thought to names, though you neve really knew until the foal was born.

Rabia's ears pricked forward and she nodded as Remington spoke, not minding his rambling at all. The dapple grey's tail flicked slightly back and forth, more comfortable with the young stallion now though still nervous as to whether the rest of the herd would accept ehr so easily. She started to call out to her mother when she spotted her, though the adult mare slipped into the trees, her bulging sides swinging from side to side. A flicker of worry crossed her young face, her mother was obviously going to birth, though it softened as Alter stepped out of the trees with a small chestnut form in tow. "Oh, look." Rabia breathed, smiling and trotting after Remington but veering off to the side to nicker happily to the palomino mare.

[Swede]

Ronon nodded and followed his father at a hurried pace, keeping his own eyes and ears peeled for signs of his mother. Quite some time passed as they searched, and he grew a little more uneasy with each passing minute. What if something was wrong? He had lost a sister only a year ago, he didn't want to lose his mother too. At long last, however, the young stallion caught Phoenix's familiar scent, and moments later she came into distant view. His elation was temporary, however; initially, all seemed well, yet soon he realized things were far from being so.

Though she'd had some time to ponder what to do, nothing felt like a good idea; her options were few, and the viable ones even fewer. Time soldiered onwards, even though she wished it would stop, and while she mulled over the future, she got the youngster cleaned up, on his feet, and nursing. It was important to calm herself down; she needed to think in a level-headed fashion. Exhaling deeply, she grazed for a while, letting herself pretend for just a little while that everything was okay.

Yet that time was all too short; Cobra's voice rang out across the landscape, cutting through the peace and turning her blood to ice in her veins. Phoenix almost flinched, as though his words were a physical blow, but something else rebelled in her, a trace of her tough ancestry and upbringing which grief and worry had eroded away; a mountain of sandstone, battered by wind and rain until it dwindled into a harmless molehill, and yet this last breeze had finally revealed the iron core. Her body trembled slightly, but she took a decisive step forward, placing herself squarely between the angered stallion and the newborn. "This," she said, her tone firm despite the slight waver in her voice, "is my son. And he has a name, Pilgrim. He is... is Dune's brother."

Ronon stared at his mother, utterly dumbfounded. How could she betray his father like that? A stallion who had done nothing but been there for her, taken in both her and Dune despite not having sired the filly, protected her, comforted her after her daughter's death... and she repaid him by going back to the lowlife who had abandoned her in the first place? A poisonous feeling of betrayal crept over him as he watched her. "How could you?" he said, quietly but with such hurt and spite that Phoenix really did flinch this time.

"It was just Dune and I... she was ill, and I was worried about her. Then he came, Dune's sire. It was so strange, and I couldn't leave Dune and run back to the herd, and things just happened too quickly for me to take stock of the situation. But he vanished when Viper arrived... and Viper, he took one look at Dune and killed her on the spot, not five minutes after everything else. My priorities and my focus shifted and prior events were forgotten until they became too obvious to not be remembered. Your borders had holes for outsiders to step through, Cobra, and there were more traitorous individuals in your herd than I that day. I wasn't even certain this foal wasn't yours until after it was born; my memories were vague and I thought perhaps they served me wrong. I wish things had turned out differently than they did, but this is where we are now and there's no changing that. You can blame me if you wish, but I will not let you harm my son, nor am I going to apologize for his existence." The tiny colt peeked timidly from beneath his mother's tail, huddled close to her hocks; he was young, but he sensed tension in the group, and instinctively knew that Mother was the safest place to be.






It wasn't too long before their new palomino friend returned, and she wasn't alone; a petite colt accompanied her, huddled close to his mother. Alanna acknowledged Lady's departure with a nod before turning her attention back to Alter. "Congratulations, he's a lovely little thing," she commented, lowering her head slightly to look at the foal. "What's his name?" Firebrand eyed the newcomer curiously, torn between wanting to go forward and investigate and lurking near the safety of his mother. Eventually he took a step forward, stretching out his head as far as he could without falling over to sniff at the other colt. Siberia observed the herd's latest newborn for a moment, before lowering her head to graze contentedly, having little to say per usual. Stardust chose to stay near her mother, but she too eyed the new colt with curiosity. There were quite a lot of big horses around, but some of them were little like her, too... how interesting.

[Saz]

The rage that had pooled beneath his breast had not disapated or receeded during Phoenix's speech. Instead it festered, growing and eating at his ability to make sense of this situation. He stood stoicly as he mulled over the situation, making sense of things as a tense silence fell upon the clearing. Finally he turned to his son, ears tilted back a little as he watched the young stallion. "Go back to the herd. I need to deal with this alone." His tone brooked no room for argument, and the look in his eyes threatened a sharp nip or worse if his son disobeyed. Waiting until the young stallion was out of hearing range, Cobra then turned back to Phoenix, eyes trained upon the prone figure hidden beneath her tail.

The anger that had been pooling for the past few moments finally found its target. Pilgrim's sire would suffer, horribly, for what he had done to Phoenix. Cobra wouldn't rest until he found the stallion. And then, after a few more tense moments, he spoke. "Why didn't you tell me when you realized, Phoenix?" His tone was soft, almost gentle as his hard exterior crumpled and he fixated his mind upon the situation at hand. He hated that one of his mares had been bred against her will, and under his protection none the less. Guilt and anger burned in his chest as he flicked his gaze to the chestnut. "I don't blame you... Or him for that matter." He paused to motion to the dunalino colt before continuing. "The blame resides on my shoulders. I failed to protect you, and in my own territory none the less." The bay stallion seemed to physically sag, his head lowering and his ears flopping forward as he sighed deeply.

It took a few moments before Cobra shook himself and straightened up again, unwilling to show so much weakness to Phoenix. He hardened once more, fixing his gaze upon Pilgrim before moving it to the chestnut mustang. "Most normal stallions would ignore you, kill Pilgrim and possibly kick you out or kill you, Phoenix. I won't do that. I'd never do that. But understand me when I say this, he isn't my son, he never will be either. But he may reside here for as long as he doesn't cause trouble. One hoof out of line and he will be out, though." With his words ringing out, the colt's sentence was determined and the bay stallion turned away from the scene. "I'll leave the explanation up to you. Alanna will no doubt wish to know what happened. What you tell her is your descision." He sighed again, this time in desperation, willing something to give him the willpower to continue in such difficult times.

~*~*~

Remington followed the grey filly dutifully, a gentle smile upon his maw as he did. He nodded in greeting to Alter as he stood a little behind Rabia, unwilling to get too close to the mare, as he knew from experience that some mares were unwilling to have you close to their newborn. He glanced past Alter to catch sight of Anthem lingering on the edges of the herd, and unusually Ronon wasn't anywhere in sight, nor was their father. Gently touching his muzzle to Rabia's shoulder, he turned and skirted round the mares before coming to stand beside his sister. "W-where'd Dad and R-ronon go?" He asked quietly, voice barely above a whisper, he disliked speaking out in loud tones, it usually caused him to stutter uncontrollably. At least if he spoke quietly he was less likely to stutter.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The palomino mare lifted her head from the grass to see Rabia fawning over her son. "Ah, dear, there you are. Is everything alright?" Alter asked, her voice kind. "Thank you." the lusitano mare said, nodding her head as she looked down at the chestnut with adoring eyes. "His name is Alliance." she replied, nudging the colt forward to better meet Alanna's scuritinizing gaze. He looked up at the larger mare before toddling forward to bump his nose into her's, a delighted squeal emanating from him. Alliance looked at Firebrand, stretching out to sniff at him curiously before darting back behind his palomino mother.

The grey mare tucked her youngest daughter into her side before stepping forward, trailing her way back through the trees. Lady stopped before actually entering the clearing, smiling at Alter's son's antics before letting out a light nicker to her friend. The lusitano mare walked forward and stopped just behind and to the side of Alter. "He's precious." she said happily, sniffing at Alliances. Couraja peeked out from behind ehr mother with wide eyes, looking at the large mares and the small colt who was just a little larger than her. He seemed to be friendly enough, though the grey filly wasnt really sure..

"Yeah, Im fine." the grey replied breezily, nodding her head at Alter's question. She didnt want anyone to know how she'd broken down, it wa sbad enough that Remington did. What did he think of her? Did he tink thats he was weak? Rabia really didnt want to make a bad impression on the handsome bay, though he hadnt ridiculed her. She looked over as said two year old touched his nose to her shoulder to announce his leave before he turned to wander off. She frowned slightly before turning abck around to smile as her mother appeared. "Whats her name?" she asked, walking forward before snorting slightly as the grey filly fled to the other side of their mother.

[Swede]

Ronon flicked his ears back, but did as he was told, stalking away with resentment radiating from him like vapor from a boiling lake. His sister died, and his mother promptly replaced her with a new colt after some five-minute fling with a stranger, neglected to mention the fact and defended herself as though there was no reason to be upset or concerned in the slightest. What did she expect of him? Oh, but it didn't matter, it seemed... no, Cobra was the important one, he was the only one whose opinion mattered. His father treated him like a little colt, sending him away as though this was none of Ronon's business. It should be the other way around, that newborn was technically his half-sibling after all, whereas Cobra had no relation at all! And what would his father do... would he kill the newborn? At the thought, Ronon very nearly turned around and stormed back to his parents. He wouldn't dare. Irritated and betrayed as he felt, he hated the thought of Cobra deciding the newborn's fate even more. It didn't matter that Ronon was annoyed about this new brother; his father killing his brother wasn't an acceptable outcome because of the sheer principles of it.

Coming back over the crest of the hill, he spotted the rest of the herd down below. A little to the side was Wolfgang, as well; upon noticing him, the tinder of defiance in Ronon's heart was given a spark of possibility, blossoming into blazing rebellion. Snorting softly to himself, he trotted towards the young stallion, coming to a halt beside him. “Do you ever get sick of this place?” he said after a moment, staring across the lake before switching his gaze back to his half-brother. “Dad’s been getting snippier and snippier… I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of being treated like a little colt. I think it’s time for me to be get off this rock, go see the world out there… would be fun if you came along. If you want.” He paused, as a mischievous grin flashed briefly across his face. “Maybe we could bring one of the mares with us… Dad’s not paying attention right now, we could pull it off.” Ronon watched Wolfgang expectantly, waiting to see what his younger brother would say.

Alanna blinked as Alter’s son boldly bumped noses with her. “Alliance; that’s a nice name. Brave little thing too.” Firebrand eyed Alliance warily as the other colt came closer, but his caution turned into curiosity when Alliance suddenly darted off. The bay foal followed after him with interest, temporarily forgetting about the adults as he discovered Alliance behind Alter. Firebrand then spotted Alliance’s fluffy little tail, and fascination took hold of him. Reaching his muzzle forward, he gummed the other colt’s tail experimentally, giving it a light tug. What a bizarre thing this was…

At the approach of another mare and a teeny-tiny foal, Stardust’s interest was renewed. Her mother was grazing quietly off to the side, and Stardust had stayed close to her, feeling a little wary of the other adults- and the other foals seemed a little intimidating too. The pale buckskin stretched her nose forward hesitantly, but there were others around, not quite as big but still much larger than she was, and… no, it was all just too overwhelming. She shrank back to Siberia’s side, flopping down in the grass in defeat.

Anthem looked up with a bored expression when Remington spoke to her. New foals were exciting, sure, but the excitement was beginning to wear off; they weren’t ‘new’ for very long, and you could only be eager about them for a short period of time before they settled into the role of regular younger siblings. “Uh, they went looking for Phoenix I think, been gone for a while. I’m sure they’ll be back soon.” She nodded towards Rabia, and added, “So who’s your new friend, Remi?” Anthem had seen the filly earlier, but she and Remington had disappeared pretty quickly and they hadn’t been properly introduced. She was a year younger, sure, but it could still be nice with another filly around. The mares were a bit too old for Anthem to really fit in with them, and the rest of the juveniles were all colts.


“Why didn’t I tell you?” Phoenix repeated in a slightly dazed tone. “I suppose because you never asked. There was nothing I could have said. It just… wasn’t important. Not after Dune.” She fell silent for a moment, and as Cobra spoke, an inexplicable burning resentment flooded through her. She was sick of stallions; the precious few with any sense in their heads ended up getting themselves hurt or killed, and the rest were too wrapped up in their egos and stubborn pride. “Of course, I understand perfectly. I’m sure it was difficult enough to tolerate Dune’s presence, and that was very generous of you, so I’ll do my best to make sure Pilgrim stays out of sight and out of mind,” she said with cold courtesy, “And Alanna, well, I’ll tell her the truth obviously, if she deems it important enough to worry about.” Turning, she gave Pilgrim a gentle nudge, and began striding off as the frightened colt toddled after her, doing his best to keep up. Phoenix wasn’t quite sure which direction she was going in, whether this path would bring her back to the herd or if it was a long detour, but it didn’t matter. Viper was dead, and he couldn't harm her family anymore. But he was not the only snake on this island, and she was no longer sure of how she felt towards Cobra. Fresh tears threatened to spill over onto her face, but she held them back; surely she was made of tougher stuff. She wouldn’t cry like a temperamental filly.

[Saz]

His brown eyes searched the creamy ground for any stray blades of grass he may have missed in his slaughter of the dry weedy population. Glancing up as the sand shivered slightly and the soft sound of hooves caught his attention, he met the gaze of his older brother, Ronon. He watched the young stallion carefully, ears tilting forward as he spoke. His eyes lit up and he grinned, leave? With Ronon? Oh man! They could be like, a band of adventurers! Grinning at the idea, the colt nodded enthusastically. "Yeah, totally! Ah man, dad gets so uppity about stuff. And yeah, we could totally get one of the mares, show him that he's not as good as he thinks!" A flare of defiance lit up in the younger stallions eyes and he grinned brightly at his older brother, desperate to prove his worth. "Who should we bring with us? Siberia would just give us a good kicking, I'm not to sure about Alanna... Maybe one of the newer mares? Alter or Lady?" He asked, grinning broadly as he gazed a little lustfully at the small group huddled not far away. He didn't count Anthem as a mare, after all, she was his sister! It would be totally gross to think of your sister like that.


The young bay stallion blushed furiously as Anthem motioned to Rabia, his gaze landed upon the grey filly and his heart fluttered a little. "O-oh... Th-that's Rabia..." He blushed even further, turning his gaze away from the grey filly as he tried to calm his madly fluttering heart. "She's Lady's daughter... V-very pretty too..." He mumbled the last few words quietly before blushing like a tomato once more. He avoided looking directly at either Anthem or Rabia, knowing that his sister might well tease him about having a crush on the pretty grey filly. At least she would be better than Ronon and Wolfgang, those two would rib him mercilessly about it if they knew.


The bay stallion narrowed his eyes a little at Phoenix's icy tone but brooked no argument or insult at her words. He tossed his head a little and gave a short nod before turning and taking off at a quick trot. He wasn't headed back to his herd just yet, he'd get there via a longer route. First he wanted to check his boundaries, he didn't trust Phoenix not to stray too far away, and he certainly didn't want another stud sneaking onto his terra and taking her yet again. At such a thought his ears flattened and his eyes narrowed. Lashing his tail from side to side as he sped up into a lope, the stallion began to summon the rage that had been building beneath his breast for the past few minutes. Now he would use it to fuel his boundary checks. And he would beat up anyone who took a step onto his terra. He'd beat them to a pulp. No second chances.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The palomino mare chuckled softly at Alanna's words after her chestnut son boldly bumped noses with her before rushing off behind her in an attempt to play tag or hide-and-go-seek with Firebrand. Soon most conversation dwindled and Alter lowered her head to the ground, her ivory tail flicking calmly against her golden sides as she ate. The colt looked around, a slightly bored expression on his face. Apparently the other colt wasn't going to play.. but, soon that theory was proved false. A squeak of indigination escaped his maw as he turned to find the other young male gnawing at his little poof of a tail. Alliance swung around, pulling his tail from the other's mouth and trundled forward, nipping playfully at the small ears.

The grey mare watched as the two colts became introduced and shook her head slightly at their antics. "Her name is Couraja." Lady said, smiling at her eldest daughter. The lusitano mare lowered her head to the grass as Rabia became acquainted with the small grey, completely oblivious to the looks to the two males as she grazed. Large eyes looked up at the older filly before turning to the pale buckskin who was looked at her, a tad of curiousity in her eyes before it all became too scary for the filly and she laid down in the grass. She took a last look at the larger grey yearling and her mother before tottering over to the other side of the large palomino form, peeking at the two colts.

Rabia smiled down at her youngest sister, sniffing at her inquisitively before Couraja apparently lost interest and wandered off to where Alliance and Firebrand where. The yearling let out a soft snort before looking around. The mares surrounded her in a little group, two males not too far off, and Remington talking to a filly. She shifted on ehr hooves, wanting to go over and speak to Remington, thank him, but didn't want to intrude in his conversation with the other. The grey filly mentally shrugged in defeat -what could she do?- and also began to graze, though off to the side of the group of older females, not really fitting in with them but not having anywhere else to go.

[Swede]

Ronon glanced over towards the distant group of mares and nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah... that would probably be easiest I bet. I think we'll have to wing it, we won't know what's most practical to do until we're caught up in the heat of the moment. How about this... we get over there, and then we charge, that'll spook 'em and maybe divide them up a bit. And then whichever one we can cut away from the others is the one we'll go after. Element of surprise and all that, and then we'll just follow each other's cues. Come on!" Ronon swallowed his doubts and picked up an easy trot, moving towards the mares. This would be a piece of cake, right? His dad was nowhere to be seen, and plenty of stallions stole mares all the time; surely it couldn't be impossibly difficult, even though he wasn't really sure what he was doing... but nothing ventured, nothing gained. Steeling his nerves, he glanced towards Wolfgang to make sure the other young stallion was paying attention, and signaled with a nod. Then the bay mustang instinctively flattened his ears and lowered his head, bolting at the mares with the intent of scattering them and driving off whoever became separated the most.


(ooc; blah, sorry it's so crappy, so musedead it's unbelievable x.x)

[Saz]

The youngster nodded eagerly and quickly followed his brother, his hooves impacted upon the pale sand as he came in parallel to Ronon. He caught the young stallion's nod and quickly burst forward, fixing his gaze upon the small group in front of them so they could steal away one of the mares. The mares scattered just as planned, each fleeing in a different direction but Alanna was quick to regroup those she could reach, however the young stallion had already singled out the one that was nearest the sandbar. Lady. Catching Ronon's eye, he swiftly motioned toward the grey mare before turning and barreling toward the older mare.

Remington had been comfortably chatting to his sister when the unthinkable had happened and both Ronon and Wolfgang scattered the mares. Flattening his ears, he swerved away directing Anthem toward Siberia and Alanna before turning on his heels and making a beeline for Wolfgang who was sprinting toward Lady. He caught the younger colt by the withers as he drew parallel and gave him a swift shove with his shoulder to push him off balance. The young bay stumbled, flattening his own ears before he recovered swiftly and slowed to a halt. Remington came between him and Lady, striking out with a foreleg to challenge him. Wolfgang smirked cockily before charging at him brother. This was no longer a sparring match, this was a battle. They grappled for a decent grip, biting and kicking each other as the collided again and again.

Lady's screech brought their combined attention back to the matter at hand, however and they both glanced sideways, watching as Ronon continued to chase the grey mare away from the clustered herd. Wolfgang took that moment to sprint away from his brother and after Ronon as he chased Lady closer and closer to the sand bar. They were a about 400 yards from the sand bar when an enraged shriek echoed toward them and their sire appeared and began sprinting toward them.

[Snappin' Turtle]

The palomino mare took a couple more steps forward, towards a better patch of grass. Winter was almost obviously upon them, but the snow hadn't yet begun to fall, though Alter knew it would soon. Her head swung up at the pounding of hooves and she fled into the trees, her chestnut son following her after catching sight of the two young stallions bearing down upon them. Alter stopped dead and turned back, letting out a fearful nicker for Lady before she saw her racing down the beach, sand flying up from her hooves.

The grey mare smiled down at her most recent child, watching as Couraja laid down in the grass. Lady flicked her tail slightly, taking a couple steps away from the rest of the mares. Her head jerked up, and she sidestepped as the two studs approached. Not knowing what else to do, the lusitano mare took off down the beach, hoping to outpace the two younger equines even though she knew the odds were not in her favor. Wasn't this supposed to be her new paradise? After everything that happened with Viper, she escaped only to be chased down? She turned her hooves towards the sandbar, the two stallions approaching from either side before an enraged squeal split the cool air.

Rabia wandered towards the woods, hoping to settle down and perhaps take a nap. She looked back to see where Remington was, and saw Ronon and Wolfgang galloping towards the group of mares- which included her mother and Alter. The grey filly let out a warning, but fear kept her rooted to the spot, her legs not obeying her brain's orders to move, get as far away as possible. "Mom!" she screamed, finally stepping forward before looking down as her sister stumbled into her legs.

(totally sucky, but whatever.)

[Swede]

Wolfgang's dash for Lady had been interrupted by Remington, but Ronon was quick to determine that it was not yet a missed opportunity; the rest of the herd had scattered and was becoming increasingly difficult to assess, but now Lady was cut off, and the only one nearby was Remington- and though he kept Wolfgang busy, it meant he too was occupied. Ronon quickly changed tack and swerved around to cut behind the sparring colts, lowering his head and instinctively snaking towards the exposed mare. The tactic seemed to work, and the thrill of success in sight spurred him on as he drove Lady towards the distant sandbar. But in his exhilaration, he became careless and forgot to watch his back- Wolfgang's hoofbeats thundered behind him, but the enraged cry that followed plummeted his mood to a basement level.

"It's Dad, run for it!" he called to Wolfgang. Remington they could take; but Cobra was another matter entirely, and though he was not a cruel stallion, no stud takes kindly to his mares being stolen, that much was obvious to Ronon. Plus his father had already been in a towering mood earlier it seemed, and would not be feeling lenient today. With Cobra hot on their heels, there was no point in trying to pull off their stunt anymore; there was no way Wolfgang could hold him off long enough for them to get Lady away. Better to ditch the attempt and focus on escaping the scene of the crime.

The sudden theft attempt by the two young stallions sent the herd in disarray for a moment, but Alanna had experienced this sort of thing before and knew that scattering would just make the job much easier for them. She broke out of the fray, Firebrand frantically galloping close beside her while doing his best to avoid being trampled, and cut towards Alter, following her path and swinging past Siberia and Stardust on the way, until the mares were clumped together- now a much more difficult target. Anthem had been separated but it seemed Remington was not in the mood to join in the coup with his brothers, and due to his intervention she was able to make a dash for the older mares. A rapid head count made it clear that Rabia and Lady were missing- Rabia she couldn't immediately see, but it was quickly made apparent that Ronon and Wolfgang had targeted Lady in the brief moment she was separated from her compatriots. But in the nick of time, Cobra appeared over the ridge, and immediately charged after the would-be thieves with hellfire in his gaze. He had been stolen from by older stallions before, and clearly was not going to accept a pair of upstart colts making a pass at his mares. Alanna halted, snorting softly before lowering her muzzle to check on Firebrand. Cobra had arrived, and thus the situation would be under control soon. Ronon and Wolfgang might be older than what she would have expected to be allowed to stay in the herd, but they were still far from having the strength and experience needed to be successful in whisking away a mare from under a watchful leader's nose.

[Saz]

He bore down on the colts who abandoned their attempt almost immediately when they saw him. He had been betrayed by Phoenix, he had another stallion's colt within his ranks and now two of his sons were attempting to steal one of his mares. His ears flattened deep into his tangled tresses as he stretched his legs forth and flattened himself into his racing form. Though he had been out of practise, he was still a pureblood thoroughbred whereas his sons were diluted by their dam's parentage and thus stockier and slower than he. He caught up with them quickly, practically flying past Lady without a sideways glance as he managed to draw alongside Wolfgang. He shoved the colt off of the sand bar and gave him a sharp bite for his troubles too before focusing upon Ronon and snapping at the young stallion's tail.

He skidded to a halt as soon as the young stallion cleared the sand bar and turned his head slightly to see Wolfgang swimming to the shore of the beach not far from his brother and take of running behind Ronon. A small part of him was glad that neither of them had stopped and come back at him, because he didn't want to have to beat them up so badly that they wouldn't ever try to steal anyone's mares. And he wasn't too sure that just them being his sons would make him hold back enough for them to escape once more. Letting loose a deep, aggressive snort, the bay stallion spun on his heels and trotted back across the sand bar toward his mares. His neck arched and as he reached the border of his land he reared up and proclaimed his dominance just to reinstate that he was top dog to any bachelors or other stallions that might've been watching his herd. With a low snort he landed back upon all fours and strode toward the grouped mares, "Is everyone okay?" He called out as he approached them, glancing toward Lady in particular as he reached the cluster of mares and foals.

Remington had kept out of the way of his sire once he'd made his presence known and had gotten Ronon and Wolfgang on the run. The young stallion turned his attention to the grey mare gently guided Lady back to the herd before moving away from the cluster of mares and foals and looking around for any sight of Rabia or Couraja. He was no longer a colt, he too was a young stallion and thus he was perceived as a threat to Cobra's herd. He had little doubt in his mind that his father would be kind and lenient enough to allow him to continue making conversation and hanging around his mares. Shaking out his mane, the young stallion whinnied to the grey filly as he spotted her, smiling warmly in an attempt to make her feel better. "Rabia, could I talk to you in a minute?" He asked as she got closer to the herd before he turned and loped toward the lake where they could have a few minutes of quiet without any curious ears listening in.

[Swede]

Alanna nodded once in answer to Cobra’s question as the stallion drew near; Firebrand huddled close to his dam, preferring to take comfort in her presence when the world was in such a topsy-turvy mess, but he did not appear to have been injured in any way. A few steps away, Siberia’s muzzle ghosted across her daughter’s fetlock as Stardust held it aloft for inspection. The filly whimpered and whined on occasion, but it seemed to be an exaggerated reaction to a minimal injury, and as far as Siberia could tell she had only bruised it a little when she tripped in her haste to run away. She pulled her head away with a dismissive snort.

“But mommy, it huuurts,” Stardust complained.

“You’re fine,” Siberia said, a hint of steel in her tone.

“Yes mommy,” Stardust answered, a bit more muffled as she realized that her behavior would more likely brand her as a big baby than make anyone feel sorry for her.

Anthem gazed past Cobra across the expanse of water, where Ronon’s hazy figure lingered upon the opposite shoreline perhaps fifty strides down from the sandbar. At this distance she could not tell whether he was looking back at the herd or if he was simply catching his breath; at any rate, after a few seconds he turned and clambered between the rocks and scrub until his figure was obscured by the looming mountains. “You idiot,” she muttered under her breath. Though she often squabbled with Ronon, it had mostly been over trivial matters, and it felt odd to see him leave. He was her brother after all.

From afar, Phoenix had been able to witness the scene, standing in a patch of bushes where Pilgrim could rest in the shade. She knew it was Ronon’s fault and he’d brought upon himself the fate of every stallion in the world who attempted and failed to steal a mare; in any case, it was the natural order of things for a colt to leave his herd at some point or another. Still, it felt nice to blame Cobra, and she wasn’t feeling charitable enough to feel guilty about it either. “For once in his life he managed to defend his herd, he just needed the bar drastically lowered was all,” she murmured. Pilgrim lifted his head sleepily. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t talking to you dearest, I’ll be quiet,” Phoenix added, nudging him comfortably with her muzzle. Cobra had failed to protect Ember from being stolen; he had let his best friend murder Dune; now he’d driven off Ronon too. The best way to keep her foals safe seemed to be to keep them far, far away from that stallion. Shaking her head, the chestnut mare buckled her knees, hovering her muzzle over Pilgrim’s side as she dozed, the soft earth pleasantly warm against her belly. It was not an easy task, being a mother. But there were other matters on which she would remain attentive, certainly; and as far as she could tell, any foreseeable outcome would only dig Cobra deeper in his hole.

[Saz]

His dark eyes caught Alanna's assent and he allowed a taut smile to cross his maw as he scanned the rest of his herd quickly before glancing around the beach to be sure there were no other stallions or bachelors coming to destroy what he has so painstakingly created. His gaze caught movement up in the bushes and he stiffened momentarily, eyes narrowing before he let out a dismissive snort and flicked back his ears a little as he watched Phoenix disappear again. Part of him wished for the little colt to die of some disease or other before the chestnut became to attached to him, but as soon as that thought had rippled through his mind he had chased it away viciously.

Because no matter how angry and betrayed he felt toward Phoenix; no matter how infuriated he was with himself that he hadn't realized she had been taken by another stallion whilst his back was turned. She was still apart of his herd, she bore him a son and hopefully would again in the future. And no matter what he told himself, he still loved her as a stallion loved each of his mares, she was a vital part of the herd, and he knew if he chased her out then he would not only be down a vital member, but he would have both Siberia and Alanna to answer to; and no grown stallion should ever have to face that.

Sighing deeply, the bay thoroughbred shook himself and allowed his body to relax before he glanced around his small herd once more. His gaze landed on Anthem and he frowned minutely, in the distance Remington stood with Rabia and he knew they would leave before the start of summer, but his eldest daughter had made no moves to leave and find a stallion or a new herd. He wondered if perhaps he should take her with him on his next outing to the river or the common grounds to search for new mares for the herd. Then, perhaps, with him around she would feel safe enough to speak to other stallions without the possibility of them taking advantage of her. Or maybe she would find herself a companionable mare of her own age and they would wander together until they found a suitable stallion together.

His gaze moved from Anthem to her mother and he decided the best course of action here was to speak to Alanna first. After all, he didn't want to go pissing off his lead mare and his daughter at the same time, that was always a bad idea. And with all the drama going on he wasn't quite sure whether he could deal with much more. Smoothly sidling past Siberia and Stardust, Cobra allowed his muzzle to brush Firebrand's fluffy forelock briefly before he touched his muzzle to Alanna's shoulder and then neck. "May I speak to you privately for a moment?" He requested quietly, glancing to the others briefly before taking a few steps away from the small gathered herd, in a few minutes they would all disperse and within the hour everyone would return to their normal selves.

Once he decided they were far enough away that they wouldn't be eavesdropped on, he smiled gently at his lead mare. "I've been thinking recently that I should go and find some fresh blood for the herd, perhaps see if there are any mares wandering the common grounds or elsewhere, as I know there's been somewhat of a disturbance throughout the lands and quite a few herds have disbanded over the winter and early spring. I'll most likely leave in a few days once everyone's settled, as I doubt any wandering stallions or bachelors will have a go for the herd after Ronon and Wolfgang, at least they shouldn't for another week or two." He paused then, inhaling to calm the slight wave of anger he felt at the two youngsters who were most likely licking whatever wounds they may had gotten whilst attempting to steal his mares.

"Anyway, I was thinking I might take Anthem with me, as it might get her thinking about leaving too, after all, she's almost four and having her around for too much longer may well bring the unwanted attention of bachelors and other young stallions. I don't mean to step on any hooves or anything, it was just a thought and I figured I would broach it with you first considering you're both lead mare and her mother. Not to mention soon she'll be the only one her age here, both Remington and Rabia are moving on soon." He spoke with a smooth, low tone, making sure to keep his tone level as he spoke, not wishing to place any emphasis where there shouldn't be, as the one thing he didn't want was an irate Alanna on his hooves.

[Swede]

Alanna scrutinized Cobra for a moment, wondering what was going through his head that he felt the need for a private talk at this particular moment. But then shrugged, and lowered her muzzle to Firebrand. "Go play with Stardust for a bit," she commanded lovingly. The colt didn't need to be told twice; roughhousing with his sister was much more fun than standing around with his mother. He skipped exuberantly towards the pale filly, nipping at her mane cheekily. She abruptly forgot all about her supposedly injured foot and wheeled around, hooking a leg over his back before they mutually wrestled each other to the ground. Firebrand was up first, and took off across the island's hillside, with Stardust hot in pursuit.

With the youngsters occupied, Alanna nodded briefly to Siberia (who immediately settled to grazing during her temporary reprieve from mothering duties), and followed Cobra until he was satisfied with their level of seclusion. Then she halted and settled her attention upon him, silent until he had finished outlining his plan. "Hmm," she mused, "We've certainly got the space to handle a few newcomers. And I've got a hunch Alter and Lady are a bit restless, I'm not sure we can entirely count on them to stay here. Spooked, I imagine. As for Anthem... she's a big girl. Bit stubborn, she'll do what she wants. But some world experience wouldn't do her any harm."

(ooc: Short sneaky post buuut technically the others aren't really doing anything, they'd just be filler, so this'll get us going again quicker methinks.)