Steeldust.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

Silence. Can you hear it? It blisters with such god-fearing irreverence that even the Lords of Heaven could never muster the ignorance to break it. The Darkness! Silence's lovely, enticing twin. Darkness seems some sexually-charged fever, a calling of lust... something to be feared just as her brother before her. Both bring tension, apprehension, danger, insolence. Both come about when I, and you, my dear, have each met our demise. The Twins are your best friends, a cradling arm, a heavy blanket. The Twins are a suffocating veil.

Here in the swamp, the crystalline pools swirling out in some accidental geometry of life, the darkness and the silence seem somehow, in an instant, less and more foreboding than otherwise. The quiet nature of the place is comforting, as sometimes loneliness is. The darkness is a pressure weighing down on your worried shoulders, pushing, pulling, begging you to retreat downward, to meet the Earth, to returns to your mother in any sort of sleep you can manage. The darkness brings you still.

Citadel appreciated this stillness, even though the primal urges of his beastly nature refused to allow his guard to fall dormant. The crackling of a settling tree branch in the distance would catch the male's ears, the grey-brown eyes twitching in a paranoid manner to one side and then the other beneath heavy, dark brows. The equine half of him, heavy with the blood of the English Black and the Ardennais, twitched and writhed under the intense equine urge to bolt - his human half disagreeing. The faint blue glow of him intensified in a beat the may have corresponded to the rate at which his large heart thumped against his ribcage. Occasionally the intensity of the color would turn to white, but only for an instant. The behemoth was flighty. Cato was scared.

Of course, he would never admit this. Heavily feathered legs picked up into a slow walk, hooves as dinner plates rimmed in steel plowing ruts into the soft, silty bottom of the pool. Wet grassy knots stuck to his appendages, tail saved from the dampness by the fashion in which it had been hacked short. Fish scattered. A frog dared to croak, begging the night for a mate... interrupted by the steel blades of a beast enrobed in some fading, glowing magic. Hunger struck him. Food had not been found or thought about in days, nor had he been home in that time. What was there? Dirt and saltwater... a pretty girl... Hmm. Well that was a stupid question.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She had decided to venture out of Cato's land in search of something else. Her stomach was the same size as it was days before; or was it? It seemed...bigger? No. It was not bigger. Never! It was the same size and even if she was pregnant it had not been long enough for her to be showing. No. Nothing about her body had changed. nothing.

The girl was paranoid about this and the sloshing, the frogs, the insects. The bloody insects!! Her skin would twitch and her tail flicked trying to rid herself of the tiny pests. What she wouldn't give for a light of some sort. The moon didn't even seem to help much either. At least the water was clear and this was not such a horrid little place. It was actually quite nice.

She did not like this walking in water thing though and soon hopped up onto a little island of grass. Looking around she pawed at the blades and shook herself off a bit. Nadia guessed this place would be alright if she was a horse and liked grass. Grumbling she heard the thrash of water and startled a bit taking a step or two back into the water. The glowing she was not sure of as anything could glow out here, but Cato did glow but still she took steps back.

Lots of things glowed; usually bad things unless it was Cato. Still she splashed awkward taking steps back, the water only came up to her hocks here but this was scary. She might possibly be pregnant and her she was out in the middle of nowhere at night! No, she was not pregnant. The girl pushed back her hair as she kept taking steps back, her rump suddenly disappeared as she stepped in a deeper section. She gasped at the cold water touching her skin before pulling herself out.

She chose not to say anything as it might be something dangerous. Still the girl tried side stepping around the deep section away from the glowing light. Failing miserably as her rump dipped back into the water and she chose to just deal with the water rather than whatever was glowing.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

A step, another. Citadel's body slowed to a pondered halt, front end weaving in a habitually bored manner, up to his bare hipbones in surprisingly cold water. The beast had no right to be bored, nor any reason to panic. What here was bigger than he? There were times when Cato believed that only death was bigger than his bulky mass, and then there were times when the so-called brute was reduced to little more than a quivering lump. Tonight, though it was dark and silent, the black silhouette in the night felt at ease in his own skin. It seemed that hunger outweighed any fear that could be found here... even though he was half sure that he was not even hungry at all.

The silence did not last long, however. A few splashes, a gasp. The boy knew that gasp! Even from behind him and perhaps a dozen yards off, he knew it... although he would never simply jump to the conclusion. As much as he knew he could have imagined the sound into recognition through a whim aloft hope. He enjoyed certain company on a scale which was drastically weighted.

Though he had convinced himself frailly that the sound had indeed been something or someone rather than his familiar, curiosity was the bane of him. Torso craned around, slowly followed by the front end of his sopping equine barrel. In the low light he could see little more than a glint of his own blue reflection and the faint shimmer of moonlight on distant trees. Blackness enveloped the girl entirely, but the way the water had been disrupted told him most everything he needed. This was one of the rare instances in which the trade he had been trained in actually came in handy.

Impatience overtook the more logical aspect of his curiosity. A detesting grunt. A couple steps, posture demanding even though he knew his black body was all but invisible. Citadel half expected to find something injured or lifeless, and half expected something deadly. As was usual of his strange ways, the idea of something harmful made him more angry than scared. Perhaps he would eventually have to strangle something with his bare hands. The idea seemed barbaric, but enticing.

"Alright..." the voice that fell of him was exasperated, annoyed, bored. "Show your head." Cato was leaning toward the belief that he was speaking simply to the cold, dead, enveloping night air.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

Great now the glowing light was coming near her! She took more steps back only to feel the water come up to the stomach on her torso. She shivered, not liking this at all and kept backing blindly. Finally a voice rang out and it was familiar? "Cato?" She pulled her feet from the muck, hauling herself up onto a nearby island. The moon light barely hit her and she shook off looking over to where ever the voice had came.

Could it really be him? She hadn't seen him in what seemed like months but it might have been sooner? Really she needed a light source other than the moon that was being blocked by the trees. Another shiver and she flicked her water logged tail a few times before, if only there was a better way of getting fire. She was horrible with finding the right sort of stones. "Cato it's Nadia." she looked around warily and took a step back.

Really she should just go back home and face the wrath of her tribe but then she could always lie about what she had done and seen. Maybe her mind was playing a trick on her and it was not Cato at all but some other person or the wind that was being weird. Wait a minute! She could control fire couldn't she?! The gasses though and she did not feel like setting her island on fire. Her torso began shivering as a result of her equine half being soaking wet.

The girl rocked from side to side as she grew nervous again. This stunk, she could not see Cato if it was him, and even if the moon was fuller and there weren't so many trees his coloring made it hard to see him anyway. Plus the fact that she might be pregnant - NO she was not pregnant but there was no way of telling until she either showed symptoms or showing. No, she was not pregnant and that was final, she did however think she was in heat. The beginnings of it anyway. That familiar feeling of wanting to breed and other things. She should just live in a hut by herself, until she was ready to have children.

Nadia hated this silence that seemed to surround her. She wanted to run away but the water would make it hard and she was not the best swimmer. Her eyes widened trying to see in the darkness but was failing miserably, she took more steps back into the water. The girl's body was preparing itself for flight and her breathing quickened.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

When her voice rang out, his body stopped with a bluntness that was unrivaled. Water covered his entire equine half, save a small island comprised of the highest point of his quivering rump. The blue glow flickered, brightened, then died out altogether before humming wistfully back into life, the color defusing out into the crisp water radially, almost green, perhaps a tinge yellow or gold.

Calm. If the colors did not speak for him, his posture did. Muscles slacked, eyes rolled in their sockets in a museful, silent teasing which regarded both of them equally. Nadia could be so spooky. Then again, so could he. The smug look vanished from his light-deprived face. He could hear the sloshing and feel the minuscule waves that her retreating body created sloshing against his belly. As of yet, he said nothing.

A chuckle, a step or two forward. He felt at ease teasing her, even though he knew that she could be a fiery sort of sprite, irrational as she was tempting. At the same time, he felt no worry that she would ever abandon him completely. How could she? The beast was perfect, after all. Right? And, well, if she could make up her mind to leave... he could very well make up his mind to stop her... you know, if his pretty face wasn't quite enough. Right? Right? I thought so.

A thoughtful sigh, a quickened pace, closing the gap... silent as he could manage, yet altogether barreling. The distance between them was not something worth fretting over, he decided, as it was insignificant in spans.

The gap somehow vanished, though he could still hardly make out her form. Good night vision had never been a main concern along the lines of his breeding. A large hand reached to grasp her arm, the motion of it rough but controlled. He fantasized for an instant in pretending to be some stranger... to scare her out of her last wits... but the idea was cruel and beyond his gentle ways. "I see," he told her, as if insinuating that he was catching her in a lie, leaning in. Suddenly, he backed off... strolled a bit toward her backside, began to circle... unable to help himself, but still keenly aware of her flighty nature.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

Suddenly the beast charged her and before she could pivot to turn its hand was on her arm. She struggled and tried ripping it free from the man's grip and a hind leg randomly kicked out; of course it didn't hit anything. She stopped struggling as the man said something and she relaxed. The woman leaned back when he leaned in though. She was not about to kiss him; not after that performance.

An annoyed snort passed through her nose and she watched him as he seemed to circle her. She turned her rump away from him. Sex was the last thing on her mind and she followed him pivoting and moving her legs. "What do you mean you see? You scared the crap out of me doing that.." Not literally but if she had chosen fight she would have kicked and bitten him. Still she smirked as she watched him move.

She had not noticed before how his muscles moved under his skin and she assumed she definitely was in heat. Something at least. She also noticed how pretty the glowing light was in the water and she stopped following his circle half way through. She was not sure what else to say but just watched him move and smirked mischievously. Of course her tail tried flicking away the bugs that seemed to like buzzing around her hind end.

The water was perhaps a little pass her hocks again. "What are you doing out here anyway?" She guessed he could ask her the same question. At least he had a chance in fighting off a predator while she would most likely run away. A hand went down to slap away the few flies that had tried escaping her tail. "I mean there are a lot of bugs here...but then I guess with your thick hide it doesn't bother you as much.." she smirked at him in a teasing manner and bit her lower lip.

Yeah, she was definitely in heat, she wouldn't be looking at him with this lustful burning desire look about her eyes. Good thing it was dark out as she blushed and looked down at the water that was glowing.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

The way her body retreated from his advances was amusing, if not the slightest tinge insulting. He did not expect her to hang all over him, not now nor ever, but his twisted and hypocritical upbringing did lead him to expect obedience. Then again, he had not asked for anything, really... just toyed with her, just invaded her space. Testing the water was essential with this girl: he had to do it constantly, for each time she was always a different person from the last. I guess you really can't ever step into the same river twice. Or, you know, sleep with the same girl twice. Or... something. Pff.

Citadel brushed the idea from his mind, thus leaving room for other things. Of course sex was always there, but he had become used to that by now and it was sort of a silent runner, continually churning in the back of his head... occasionally brought up into the forefront for some plethora of reasons. Her words were taken in at just one of those times, and he did not answer for a moment, just smiled quietly, stopped as she did, leaned his barrel against her hip. Scared her? That was hardly the worst he could have done... hardly the worst anyone could have done. She should have been glad that it was him and not a cousin of his, some other male. If it had gone that way she'd have been praying for sweet little Cato.

"Well I'm sorry." His voice held the teasing air of a child caught in an act that it was not truly sorry for; drawling, laughing, almost embarrassed for getting caught. One calloused hand rested on her spine, scratched at the red fur, trying to appease her through some gentle caress that he strained to muster. She spoke again, harassing him a bit in her usual biting-but-playful sort of way. Eyes narrowed, his hand ceased its habitual caress. A sigh. A roll of the eyes. His hand resumed its duty.

"It's really none of your business," he told her, voice carrying none of the arrogance or teasing that one might expect. Truthfully, even he did not know why he had come here - perhaps it was boredom, stupidity. Life at the beach could get repetitive: the same strip of sand and the same waves over and over and over. A few flies landed on him, but in his thought he did not bother to brush them away. He hardly listened to her teasing, and so it did not affect him in the least. The look on her face was another matter entirely, although he said nothing to her about it. He knew that face well. He knew it promised him something very, very nice.

His body moved to come parallel to hers, the hand trailing up her spine and eventually settling at her waist in a heavy-handed sort of way, obviously expressing that he would rebut if she chose to try and move off. For once - just once! - he wished that she would cooperate, that she would not try and make him feel like some bumbling fool. Citadel knew that this would likely never happen. The black beast disguised a sigh.

"Actually... I don't know," he finally recanted, voice blankly honest. The hand on her back toyed with the ends of her hair, twisting the strands about his fingers quietly. "Why are you here?"

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

Of course she let him brush against her body how could she not? He was gorgeous and rather large and strong, if he wanted to touch her who was she to object? She was brought up differently than he was. If she did not want him touching her then she'd resist and move away. She strangely wanted him touching her though and did not object to his hand scratching through her skin; in fact she enjoyed it.

Though she would have to get use to his behavior; normally she was not this irrational but they were different and she had to learn what not to say to him to offend him. Her tribe was so open it seemed; if someone did not like you, you heard it from their mouth and tried to stay away from each other. She said really nothing when he apologized nor when he said it was none of her business. She looked down at the water again, maybe she should just fall into this don't speak unless spoken to sort of thing.

Really she should just learn to control her baser instincts and not try to lean into his hand. She did not move away when his body came up to hers nor did she want to move away. Her hand went down to rest on his as her arm went around his waist in return. Her fingers lightly caressed the back of his and while the other appendages scratched through his fur, she sighed softly and laid her head against his side.

Licking her lips she looked up at him and opened her mouth to say something but he asked her a question and she closed her mouth and looked down. She normally would have pulled away trying to think of an answer but she could think of one here wrapped in his arm. "I got lost trying to get away from that Sam from earlier." No sense in beating around the bush about that. "I was going back for my things and he just popped up" The brute had a knack for doing that; popping out of nowhere but then he was a bit more graceful than Cato so she could hardly hear him coming up.

This water looked like a good place to cool off after running so much. She was not sure how else to explain it, he might even assume that she had bred with the small man. Small meaning he was about her size. A hard swallow and she scratched through his fur more. No she was not going to breed with any man that she had not - well Cato was the only one she wanted to mate with.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

There was some sort of satisfaction that came from her acceptance of his approach. It was strange to him, really... No slap of the hand? No venomous words? Had she ever forgiven him with so little tussle before? He thought not, but decided that it was not worth the worry he could expend. What she did was a finality, just as the things that he did were also permanent. Citadel was used to being harassed and walked over, though he had never imagined he would take interest in someone so argumentative and fierce. His basic instinct was to beat her down, to create the model love his upbringing caused him to imagine, but his critical morality found the idea a bit regressive. If he changed her, if he forced her into some mold of idealism... who would she be? If she were to mellow by his hand, he may as well change her name and slap some clothes on her, cut her hair... she would cease to exist.

Her silence was perturbing, but the contact she returned was enough to melt him into ignorance. It did not seem that the beast would get over the pleasure of physical contact anytime soon. How could he? The promise of something more than a slap on the back or a slap in the face was enthralling and undeniable. Cato would never express it, but he was antsy at the idea.

When she finally spoke, his brow furrowed a bit into his usual concerned crinkle. Sam. Sam. Some hybrid of a snort and a sigh escaped his throat. The man truly did not want to have to act on any sort of anger or territorial dispute, but it seemed that the opportunity would continue to arise until someone's face had been dislocated from their skull. The first idea that came to his head was again that Nadia had some predisposed reason to continually meet up with this Sam that she was lying about... but, then again, she had not been given a true reason to tell him about the meeting. The girl could have lied. With this realization, he allowed the anger that was welling up to slough off. There was no point in getting angry without a solid reason.

"Mmm... alright," he drawled in the last grasp of anger left in him, not bothering to look at her. In time he would settle into the idea that such a pretty girl would always be pursued. He mused on the idea that he should have picked some terrifyingly manly woman... or, you know, not allowed himself such a fickle and painful emotion as love. But that was unrealistic, and it was certainly too late now.

The hand on her waist squeezed the skin firmly, then relaxed. Another snort, a roll of the eyes. The horrid thoughts of loss could not be evacuated from his worrisome head, and the only visible cure was to be angry rather than hurt. If it ever came to it that he could not have this girl, he decided, then anyone she ran to would have a nearly ten-foot-tall issue to deal with. Eventually there would be nothing left for her to do but give in. He would have her then. Of course, he knew how awful these thoughts were... but he did not bother to quell them.

"I trust I don't have to take any action on this?" the words insinuated the answer he wanted to hear. She had better taken damn good care of this, kept herself out of trouble. "I don't really feel like being a jerk." His body pulled away from hers and stepped carefully toward a patch of exposed grass, trying not to stir up waves, grasping at her hand in a request that she follow.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

He seemed annoyed by this Sam and she stayed quiet about it as nothing had happened. She sighed quietly and rubbed the base of his torso. Nadia could not understand or help that she was pursued by men. Even in her old tribe men seemed to offer her things for her body and loyalty. She was use to it but could not help how others felt; she was not the prettiest in her little group either. There were at least four or five women that were prettier but then they spent most of their day fussing over themselves; so she guessed she was pretty natural.

She uttered a noise of protest when her flesh was squeezed. Half a protest; it did not hurt but it was a bit uncomfortable she had not pulled away though. "No, you don't." Unless they were to run into him again, she doubted this though as the man seemed flighty just talking to her. She stifled a yawn and shook her head slightly. It was only a little bit after dusk and she was tired - well not exhausted but she would welcome sleep.

She was a bit disappointed when he pulled away but she watched the beast, wondering what he had meant by his last sentence. Was he talking about that Sam or about her? Who did he have to be a jerk to? She squeezed his hand and she followed him up onto the island. Did he mean being a jerk to her? Sure she was in the mood but they would surely be parents if he were to mount her tonight. Yet the thought of sex made her smirk and squeeze his hand a bit more.

She sighed a bit and decided she'd at least tell him if he made his intentions clear. Right now she was not sure if he simply wanted to be out of the water to talk or sleep; or maybe he wanted to get her out of the water to get on her. She sighed a bit and wrapped his massive arm around her waist. She was not exactly sure about this but if he wanted her tonight; she could not stop him by force and in a way she did not want to stop him but knew it might not be the right choice while she was in heat.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

Her answer was comforting - he was glad that he would not have to lift a finger as of yet - but he was still disturbed by the whole ordeal. This... this jealousy! What had become of this normally complacent beast as of late? This girl made him nervous and flustered. Nadia brought him a plethora of strange emotions. Citadel was not the type to even consider bringing harm on another just a while back, but now it was the basic answer. Avoidance had been exterminated and replaced by some voracious and confrontational spirit. Cato felt a tad ashamed, but did not yet feel compelled to cure the emotional ailment.

"Good girl," he praised quietly, offering a shadow of a smile in her direction. In his head the statement had been more along the lines of "what a good girl I have," but what finally came out came so gently that the other words fell away. He did not bother to correct the fragment.

To be out of the water was nice, but a chill came over the portions of him which were soaked. The almost cat-like fur over his body did little to shield water from his flesh and each time a breeze picked up the thick hide over his haunches would twitch and writhe and beg for the gust of air to move on its way. The girl joined him and the contact of their bodies relieved some chill... or maybe he was just distracted.

The heavy arm around her tightened ever so slightly and his free hand moved to meet the one already at home on her flesh, chin resting on the top of her head. There were no words in him that felt worthy of materialization, and he had become so used to being alone the past few days that the idea of being in company was almost threatening. Citadel was the type to practice his manners even in solitude, but somehow the feeling of being forced or expected to do so was a bit threatening.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She looked up at him questioning what exactly he meant by his words but decided that it was not important. She shivered slightly as the air came hitting her skin and leaned into the man more. At least it had been praise and she would let him get away with such a condescending remark; for now at least. Licking her lips she felt his chin and arm rest on her and she sighed contently of it all.

"I missed you.." she said softly. The flies seemed to lessen a bit as her fur began drying. Maybe it was just the water that made them come, she did not know. Nadia just knew that her tail seemed to not flick as much now that her fur and skin were drying. This moment seemed perfect to her and she almost spilled heart out to him as she laid her head against his side.

Of course she could fend for herself and use the way a few animals seemed to flock to her against them. Not that a deer or anything useful had come but the occasional curious rabbit now and then. She only had caught one like that and rabbits were not that good; with no fat and all but she could fend for herself without him. It was just much easier with him around; and the affection she had for him as well and all. An arm went around his waist and scratched through his drying fur as she rested a hind leg lazily.

Even with the flies retreating she moved her end near his body trying to drive the insects that might be bugging him as well away. Since he did not have a tail. Such a cruel thing but she could not imagine him with a long flowing banner now that she had gotten use to the short little nub. She was not sure if that was the right word but - well she continued to flick and slap her tail against his and her body. "I can trim your tail if you want. Its..looking a bit long." Of course she would not admit she had been checking his massive bulky body out.

He might have been checking her out as well, but he even admitted himself that he was gorgeous. Such a cocky man he was - well not all the time but oh well. She sighed softly as her free arm caressed the large arm around her waist. She did not care if he was cocky sometimes all men seemed to be.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

Silence seemed as though it hung thickly in the darkness, returning with an incessant and repetitive nature. Citadel did not mind the pair settling in upon his broad shoulders, pressing down on his barrel chest... it seemed normal, really, for there had always been something in him that beckoned on long, sleepless nights in biting weather. There had been a few nights that the man had believed would never end, as light refused to peer about the horizon, winking and blinding. Cato's brain ticked away, remembering, refusing to remember... until the silence broke. It was a lifesaver.

She misses me? Really, now? That's... amazing. Grey eyes flickered to the moon, to the water, to the ground. He felt as though he should not believe her, but was so smitten by the idea that the fool-hearted action could not be avoided. This girl said a thousand venomous things, but every so often something as honey dripped from her lips. Those moments were quite enough to keep him strung up as some massive, lumbering marionette. For as scary as he could be, the boy could be wrapped around one single pretty little finger.

"I missed you, too," he told her boldly, honestly... without his usual reserve on such a topic. There was no use in trying to fiddle around anything - she always got it out of him in the end, anyway. Citadel had never imagined that someone so fragile-looking could twist his ear so hard or force him into anything. He could kill her with a blow, and yet he was the one running after her and trying like hell to appease some frivolous whim. It was silly, really. Cato reminded himself to never let the boys back home know a single word of it. They would never let him live it down.

Silence again. More words. His tail? Oh, you just want to touch my ass. A smirk curled its way over his ashen face and then vanished before he could let her see. Only if the deal goes both ways.. The words would never be allowed to escape, but the idea he got to muse over was quite enough for now. "It may be," he returned, the thoughtful air in his voice really a signifier that his mind was still churning over the previous thoughts. It was just too amusing, just as the fact that she seemed to obsess over tail maintenance was a tad strange.

In a moment his neck craned lazily back, attempting to see the tail that he knew darn well was out of his capability to view. To lie down and contort was the only way, really. Cato gave up, burying the lower half of his face into her hair in a sort of lazy kiss. "Hardly get to see you and you're already picking at my looks?" he mumbled with a joking air, smiling like a fool to himself, trying his hardest to get her closer - if that was even physically possible.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

Nadia was a bit surprised that he returned her statement so easily. What? No other words that expressed his disbelief that he could miss someone so small, irrational and annoying? The girl knew she was annoying at times. Still she sighed and tried getting closer to him, though it was not possible so she settled for rubbing and scratching his back. She sighed heavily wishing that their bodies weren't so awkward for moments like this. Surely if they were both human they could do things more closely but this was good. About as good as it got without contorting ones body to try and have them back to stomach.

She smirked as he agreed on the thought his stump of a tail might be long. Really it wasn't just a ploy to touch him. Her tail wasn't even that long; not much longer than it had been a few weeks ago. Barely pass her hocks; the ends were getting uneven, something she rather disliked, but could tolerate for a few more months.

Maybe he simply did not mind for care of his banner because he did not really have one. Such a horrible thought to the woman. She wondered if they were have children if its tail would be docked as well. She liked having a tail that moved and flicked. "not picking really...just..mentioning it." She flicked her tail a few times before repositioning a leg; his pulling was a bit - well they could not get any closer. "I believe we're as close as we can get without me falling over." she pulled away slightly for the sake of comfort and balance, she was teetering slightly with having her torso almost touching his, her legs trying to get under herself again. Her spine had even popped and cracked when he had tried pulling her closer.

Did she need to remind how much bigger he was compared to her? He could easily pull her over if he wanted to, push her over as well. She huffed quietly as her body tried righting itself so that she could stand comfortably and still be close to the giant. This strange thought seemed to turn her on. He might even be able to carry her if ever a situation came to that. Still she looked down at their feet and pawed at the ground. Trimming his feathers would put either one or both of them on the ground and her in close proximity of another area of his body. "Or I could clean your sheath if you like." She said this so easily! Like it was nothing to touch a male there. Really it wasn't; something she had been taught at a young age since it was occasionally needed. The woman looked up at him as she was serious about this, then looked at the ground. Of course her tribe had not the tools humans had but really - well she did not want to go into great detail. "or we could just forget I even offered..." she said quietly.

Her face was red as she kept thinking about it. Surely the water around here had done a decent job of cleaning that area and - well she did not like doing that anyway. He wasn't out mounting countless women either so it might not be needed. Uhmm, yeah she was growing rather...nervous..or embarrassed that she had even offered to do that. Both her hands came down to pick at the fur along her torso or the small bald patch of skin really. Just idly picking at the hairs. Her body even began twitching as she stood there. He'd probably be offended but for once she was not going to walk away. She'd rather have him walk away if he was so offended; they had sex together so it should not bother him, but she was - well she sighed deeply and continued picking at the fur.

[WaT]

It had been ever such a long time since Salma had been to this place but the old girl was careful to not slosh too much as she did not like getting wet with this yucky water. Sighing she climbed up onto an island and flicked her ears forward at the sound of voices. Nostrils flared taking in a familiar and yet an unfamiliar scent. A snort and her head shook a bit. Ugh, she could just never get use to that smell.

Of human and equine molded and smashed together, her brain was still trying to figure out if it was a rider and horse or just one being. She hated how this moon was blocked by the trees and so she pulled back the branches that were blocking her lovely moon. This lit up all the nearby islands and she took a step or two toward the two beasts on one particular island. It was that half human thing. More trees bent over, casting more light onto them and herself. A few trees even snapped and fell making it easier to see such creatures.

Sighing she turned her head to the side; looking at them from a different angle. Peculiar creatures these were. From here it looked as though they were joined at the hip but then the female? moved away slightly. There were females? then that meant there were also males and the large thing she had met months before was male.

Well of course, she should have known better by his male human appearance. Curiously she strode forward; cautiously of course but curiously all the same. Snorting she looked at the female version, careful to not poke it with her horn; though it was still very short from snapping it months ago. "Hello.." she looked over to each of them the last time she had tried talking to this male it seemed to not work. They could not understand each other. Another snort and she nudged the woman's stomach with her nose. Her horn was just short enough to do that without impaling her.

Personal space was not an issue here as she did not care if they touched her. Maybe she could keep them as pets or something but then they might breed making her have to look for homes for the babies; they had litters right? Maybe it was just one baby. Still she inspected the females feet looking for those little metal flecks in her hooves; finding none. Well that was interesting. She pulled back a bit. "I hope I was not interrupting anything?" her ears flicked forward as she looked at the female then the male. They were awfully close maybe they were already mating? Her ears flicked back as she took a step back snorting harshly.

Well no they had horse bodies so..that meant - eww. Another harsh snort and she pulled her head back more. Well they were probably done by now or hadn't even started.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

The beast let his somewhat captive lass pull away, not answering her first statement until well after her protest of space. "I know, I know..." he told her, almost laughing, the words a response in general to the last few seconds as a single entity and yet somehow a response to nothing at all. With the way she spoke to him, Citadel was almost entirely confident that there was not a cell in her body that could comprehend humor. Perhaps such a thing was beyond her nature. Perhaps he should avoid his playful nature altogether... she did not seem to care for it much, anyway.

Her next words shook him, confused him... made him reconsider his prior thoughts altogether! My... what? He stifled a shocked appearance which threatened to overtake his entire posture, already aware that she was pulling away from the seemingly brave comment of just a few seconds before. Was she joking now? He did not think so, but the idea of a joke was no more comforting to him anyway. "I... uh, if you think it needs it," he sputtered, attempting to sound composed, "But I wouldn't ask a lady to do that."

Up to this point, the movement in the area about them had been noticed but disregarded. There was no wind in their immediate area, but Cato brushed the wrenching of the trees off as a breeze on the horizon. In an instant, however, they were no longer alone. As soon as the black male set eyes on the approaching company he knew why the area seemed so upset. A little purple unicorn. Pff. Nothing in Citadel's socially-molded male ideals wanted to admit that he had once held the company of a little purple unicorn. It just seemed silly.

A sound from the mare, something which still caused frustration in him by means of misunderstanding, an approach... Cato did not worry, as he trusted the old filly, but did not move to return any sort of greeting as she did not seem to be targeting him with her actions.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She was a bit relieved that he did not have a burst of anger from her words. Obviously he did know what she had meant. "I..erm...don't know why that came out..." she stammered a bit but was glad he did not want her doing that anyway. Had he even had it done? Most males seemed to like it; though she had not been the one doing it. Such vulgarity in liking such a degrading task. Her father even had to stifle his moans of pleasure when she did it once; and it was only that one time. She felt so uncomfortable.

Suddenly a horse? was in her face and nudging her stomach. She took two quick steps back feeling something pointy touch her. "uh..hi." she did not know what the little mare was saying but they seemed to be bathed in moonlight now and she looked over to where the trees had been. She could see their snapped trunks outlined. Had this little horse done that? She brushed off her stomach or the area that had been touched. She did not like horses. She could not understand them and could only guess through body language this one had been curious but something pushed her back from being so friendly.

Good. Nadia took her place back next to Cato but did not wrap her arm around him, like she wanted to; instead her arms crossed over her chest. This was her male and though it was not normal for their species to mix, at times it did happen. Though it was usually a man mounting a mare, rather than a woman allowing herself to be violated by a stallion. Though she was not accusing Cato of any bestiality; the girl just did not want this mare around. She was pretty; in her own way of course. Nadia wished she had such colors or at least feathers. It would have set her apart from the others though and she would need some sort of draft blood in her for feathers.

Something she obviously did not have. She was very normal. A sigh and her arms brushed off her stomach again and decided to play the animal's little game of no personal space. She stepped forward and to the side of the mare; running her hand over the curve of her neck and down to her whithers. She even pushed a bit on the mare's barrel, finding it well like her own in structure at least.

[WaT]

They did not seem impressed by her and nor was she impressed by them. Well she would like to see them try doing something like that. A snort came at how the woman reacted to her touch and she was a bit surprised; weren't these things like humans? Liking to be touched? A sigh and she lowered her head to pluck a few stems. She did not mind when the female came to touch or inspect her. if she had hands then she would do the same thing.

She did not however liked how hard she seemed to push on her stomach. She grunted lifting her head up and nudged the female's barrel as well. Her ears flicked back and she kept pushing her nose against the females barrel. "Don't poke my stomach" She sighed and rested her head on the females back. Was she pregnant as well? No it did not seem like it. Snorting softly she glanced at the male and came between the the pair more, trying to push the female away from him.

The old girl did not want her half human female creature getting pregnant right now and she'd choose the male. Though it seemed this was the only male she knew of. sighing she kept nudging the female away from the male and even bumped her body into the woman; trying to get her to move farther away. Really she should have a leash on these two so she could pull them away. Humans did it so why could she not? "I don't think you should be so close to him." Maybe explaining what she wanted the girl to do she would move away. Sighing she decided maybe that the male would move away better but he was much bigger than her. Hmmm..she decided to keep trying to nudge the female away.

Finally she decided to give up for now and just try keeping them from getting closer. "you things are my pets so I don't think you should be so close to each other." Really she had done this with her human pets before they left so she was not sure why they weren't cooperating.

[Citadel]

beneath the eyes of the gods,

"Don't worry, it doesn't matter," Citadel consoled, lying to Nadia just the teeny tiniest bit. Thruthfully, he was enticed to accept her offer, to convince her into it... but the beast was not forward nor brave enough to admit that he would appreciate such attention. It seemed... wrong. Well, anything involving genitals had been pounded into his head as a vile, wicked act of sinners. Sex, even for procreation, seemed to his group some punishable wrong... and yet they were fornicators, polygamists, womanizers and whores: every last one of them. Hypocrites, truly, was the proper word. Cato did not believe sex a sin, meerly the misuse of it. Even so, the poor boy had been brainwashed out of admitting such a scandalous thing even to himself, even a thousand miles from the nearest prying ear. Citadel was weak and beat down, and even he knew it.

Saint or sinner, the boy was not concerned. He was here now, away, slowly but surely weakening his bonds with his old life and commrades. Instead of a taskmaster and an arranged marriage he had a purple pony and a venom-lipped seductress (and one who was unsure of herself, at that!). The beast could not help but allow the faintest hint of a smile to curl over his dusty-coloured lips at this thought, the action begging to accentuate itself as Nadia came to his side. She needed him, he knew, whether she was able to admit it or not. Citadel was, in fact, a fortress.

Words never came of him as he watched the peculiar scene unfold, and before he could pull anything from the thin air about him the mare had begun to graze and the carrot-top of a girl had moved off. Silver eyes set under furrowed brows, staring at the two as if trying to predict each of their next moves, trying to silently berate if either stepped out of line or commited some act of foolishness. Nadia touched the mare gruffly, the mare responded with little patience. Cato weaved a bit on his feet, attempting to find the best angle at while to break up any stupidity which might ensue. It was an instinct he could not break: to be the hero.

Curiously, the mare was the one who seemed to turn aggressive. Citadel had certainly had his money pinned on Nadia for being the first to start a catfight. His eyes widened a bit in apprehension, muscles tensing and smoothing out in tiny corrections of his nervous posture. Knowing these two, he was about ninety percent sure that someone was going to get bit or have their hair pulled. In a sick way, he was almost curious as to who would win.

"Come on now," he offered the words up to the imposing silence, not loud but definitely demanding and strong. The words held the obvious threat of something more structured, more frightening to them... almost like a father who rules his house solely on punishment. One large hoof picked up and set down a bit forward, a hind hoof followed suit. One hand fell on the withers of the immortal mare, heavily but certainly not aggressively, a gentle pat trying to get her to move off... to let everyone have their own space. An equally persuasive look was offered to Nadia.

here lies the littlest of lambs

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[Nadia]

She was shocked that this mare was so pushy. The girl pushed back. "Don't push me." she said roughly. Her hand moved to push back on the mare's muzzle. "Stop pushing me" of course she side stepped to not anger the animal. Her body didn't budge otherwise. She kicked out as the mare tried pushing her again. The woman was getting rather annoyed with this animal. A snort and she kicked out again. "Stop it!" she growled and kicked out again.

More noises that the girl did not understand and she glared at the animal. More pushing! She growled and kicked out a few more times even went so far to push the mare back. Of course she did not move and Nadia even bumped her own body into the mare in return. Another grunt and she side stepped again. Grumbling the look on her face was clearly one of annoyance and frustration.

Finally she just had enough of this little wench and she flicked the purple being with her fingers on the neck as she was nudged again. Another snort and more noises she did not understand. She was about to knock this mare out. All she had to do was rear up and snack her a bit. Finally Cato decided it was time to step in and she glared at him then the mare. Sighing she relaxed a bit and moved to push the mare again but stopped herself. She was taller than the mare in total height but it seemed the animal was slightly taller at the withers.

Sighing she noticed how Cato seemed to touch the mare rather than her but then the mare was closer. More side steps and she found a foot at the waters edge. "I don't get why she's pushing me away..from..you." She looked down at the ground. Her face was already red from earlier but now she was growing jealous that maybe this mare was interested in her Cato - erm Cato. Another sigh and she moved pass the animal to Cato's side. "She's very odd..." she said quietly looking at the mare.