Do The Creep [ Aiden ]

[Tea]

Women. They were so stuck up these days, they didn’t seem to realize that playing hard to get was supposed to be a phase that faded out into submission. This nonsense about not being interested in any and every stallion that approached them was getting rather ridiculous. Novak scoffed, the sound fluttering his rosy snout and vibrating his pallet. It was an odd and unpleasant sensation that his tongue sought to correct by rubbing against the roof of his mouth – it worked, kind of. Readjusting himself with a slight body shake he continued stalking along. He had been window shopping in this area a month or so prior, when it was still the edge between spring and summer actually. A few mares had caught his observant eye, three to be exact. A hybrid beauty of some sort, her coat was a golden cream and alabaster; though it seemed she had either disappeared or been claimed. It was a kink in his plans, but there were more women out there, he wasn't about to get hung up over some mare simply because her coat was unique.

There were two more he had been attempting to seek out, a lighter framed flaxen chestnut mare; oh she was going to be fun, she was one of those beyond naïve mares that just screamed “break me”. She would probably be a cakewalk. Then there was the last one, a petite red paint; she would be interesting. From his observations from afar she was a spitfire, all sass and crass, just the way he liked them. Her height bemused him, and would definitely be used to safe guard himself against her dynamite attitude should she choose to lash out at him. It was just the rules of the game, bend to Novak’s will or get beat down – and occasionally in the case of mares, raped. He was sure he had phantom offspring roaming around the various kingdoms. It, as most everything else in Novak’s life, amused him. It just brought to mind that life is one big joke. A comedic stage set to the tempo of drama with Novak as a director – for the chaos of multiple directors makes the play all the more entertaining.

A smile twitched onto his mug at the thought, and then broadened as a familiar scent – faint, but present – drifted his way. “Speak of the devil.” His voice was hushed, the grin extinguished, replaced by the smooth crease of his relaxed jaw line. He looked around for the slightest sign of her – there her strawberry rump with its agitated tail tossing about off in the distance. His long limbs carried him towards her, the gears in his head grinding away at how to tackle this particular fire bomb. His legs had carried him in a left bowed arch, so as to not approach the mare dead on from the back. Tempting as it would be to break her right here and now it was too hasty an idea. He wanted to drag out this game.

He looked her up and down, there was nothing subtle about the observation, but that was the point. His dual colored eyes came to rest on her face, and they remained there focused. Here was the part to tip the scales. “Aiden.” His voice was steady, calculated as he watched her during his pause. Yes he knew her name, she had spat it bitterly at an overbearing young stud during his initial time spent scoping her out – now this isn’t to say he slunk about expecting not to be seen, that’s foolish. He hid in plain sight, going about the medial daily tasks of life in the freelands whilst the mares went about their’s. He was simply observant, nothing more than that. "Lets chat shall we?" His own tail flicked at his hocks, swishing back and forth rhythmically as if counting down the seconds until she replied. He was otherwise standing quite still, relaxed as he towered over her small frame.

OOC: Sorry for setting it up the way I did, I just thought it’d move things along a little faster. Also, my apologies for not getting this up sooner, too much excitement for me as of late has made me forgetful :’D

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[Padfoot¡]

Aiden had seen the stallion coming down the hill, but honestly she had not expected him to stop and talk to her. Oh, yes, stallions were blunt and impertinent and pushy and surely it would not be far out of character for one to stroll up to a mare and expect her to be swept off her feet with them, but she normally tried to keep her demeanor prickly enough to keep them away. A few of the more shy ones could be easily fended off with a scathing glance, and others with only a couple seconds of her world-famous cheek for them to tell she wasn't interested. But some of them still stroll up to her like they're old friends and try to woo her.

Men.

Aiden shifted her petite little hooves around, consciously stopping herself from glancing around at them before fixing him in a chilly little stare, rolling her eyes on the way there. She wanted him to know he wasn't very welcome around her, even if she couldn't come up with an especially smart-mouthed retort at the moment; she was pretty sure it was the way he was talking to her. He knew her name. And then, as if that wasn't creeping her out enough, he acted like he's known her for years, asking if they could chat. She didn't answer him yet, just watched him so he would know she was listening.

She found herself looking up at him, grudgingly; it had always been a grievence in her life that she was so short. If she could have her way, she'd be taller, a bit more heavily built. A mare that could command a little more respect in her movements instead of being fine in every way except her personality. About the only thing she was really proud of about her body was her coat; a drastic kind of red, and then just the little splotches of white. Not that she was about to tell anyone about it.

[ooc: It's all fine; makes it a little easier for me. x3]

[Tea]

“Damn you’re good. If you could put anymore ice into that look I swear it’d start snowing on the spot.” Novak chuckled at the petite mare before him, and perhaps, though he wouldn’t admit it, at his own witticism. He tilted his head ever so slightly, narrowing his eyes to shoot a cold look back. It wasn’t quite refined as Aiden’s, but then again she was a professional, his talents lay elsewhere in the field of acting. It was nonetheless an effective expression, and although he didn’t look elsewhere aside from her face the movement and sound of vacating equines played out in his peripheral. A slick grin slithered across his rosy snout, settling into the corners of his mouth at the idea of passersby giving them their space. As much as this had supposed to be a game of trickery he was beginning to fancy honesty over fraud. It was that deal with no bullshit attitude of hers that he fancied so much. He actually found himself admiring her in a new light, it was quite… refreshing.

“Tell ya what love, you listen and I’ll talk. You can reply when I’m done my little spiel ok?” He nodded for her and continued without waiting for a reply. He was being rude, that much was plain, but there was a point to the madness. He wanted to push buttons, see how the gears inside that bitter little mind of hers connected and churned away. Oh how he would delight in seeing how she reacted. He cleared his throat for annoyance-sake before confronting her with his onslaught of speech. “It doesn’t take a genius to know you don’t like men.” Circling commenced, his eyes keenly focusing on her as he went; in addition his still swishing tail caught the mare’s hide on occasion. Oh how he enjoyed being a pest! “So, allow me to propose an alternative for you, a partnership even. You see I have my heart set on a Tjos. Haphazard, dangerous place yes, but that’s the beauty of it, or so I think anyways. Thing is, I can’t go calling the place home without some affiliation. I do already have some company in mind, but another body roaming the hills can’t hurt. Especially when the time comes should I need to defend it – for motivations sake that is.”

He was back near her front, face-to-face if you will. The grin was long gone by now, having slunk away during his speech. His expression was now rather flat, in fact downright serious as he finished his proposal. His voice was its usual calculated and steady tone. “So why on Earth would this be in your interest? Well, I’m offering you a home, a harassment free environment in exchange for assisting me in acquiring the land I so desire. You would be a herd mare, nothing more unless you choose to associate with myself and the rest of my affiliates. Surely you can see the appeal in all that?” That was the end of his long winded speech – not too shabby if he dared say so. Though heaven forbid should he say anything more at this rate. Now, now was the time for silence, listening and observing; which he did abruptly. His bicolor chest expanded and shrunk as the tempo of his breathing readjusted to make up for lost time. It was a soft, steady sound, one that he likened to the soft hush of the breeze tussling about in the wind. If only he was as mighty as the breeze, powerful enough to erode even the toughest stone – over a long period of time granted, but a respectable force nonetheless. Yes, if only he was so mighty a force. Perhaps with time he would come to know such a reputation.

OOC: I love that they’re both complaining about the opposite sex in their initial posts :’D They’re so angsty, it’s a wonderful combo <3 I'm also glad that it made it easier for you.

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[Padfoot¡]

All throughout the stallion's speech, Aiden had stayed perfectly still, watching him circle her, trying her very best to look bored with the whole thing even while her heart thudded in her chest. Of course, the stallion would have no idea, and never would, how much it had cost her, letting him circle her, flick her with his tail, because as soon as he had moved around, she had stiffened, and icy fear had cascaded down into her stomach. It had taken mintues of his lecture for some of it to evaporate, for her to come back to her normal, cool self. Or pretend to come back to it, at least. Because that was exactly what that stallion, the black one with the blue eyes, had done before... before the rape. And the mare had been avoiding thinking about it, for ages now. And he... he had brought it all back up. So she had listened closely to his speech, even if her carefully impassive face had said differently, to try and take her mind off it. It had taken a little while to sort out, but she had been willing to listen, because... in contrast to Voltair, he seemed a little nicer.

Normally, Aiden wouldn't have been the least bit interested. She worked alone. She didn't depend on anyone, because people were terrible. But... he was offering her protection. And a few months ago, she had been forced to face the fact that she couldn't always do that on it's own. The mare had to think about this. Stall him, and make sure that he didn't know she was stalling him. The mare rocked back on her heels. "Sure I can." She told him, pleased with herself at how even her voice was, smooth, like nothing was wrong. She was getting better at this deception stuff every day. But still, she didn't want to say too much. She would be back to herself soon, she knew, and if she agreed to anything to quickly, made him think she was that soft, she would regret it later. She needed to be in-character for this, so she was silent, cold. Let him talk her into it.

[ooc: I noticed that too. :'D I love their personalities. Oh, and depressing turn there? >.> Had to bring it up some time.]

[Tea]

A soft chuckle crossed his lips, the sight of Aiden rocking back so casually with her voice smooth and steady, well it was a hell of a show. She acted well, very well actually. Unfortunately his sense of smell derailed the effort, for upon his initial loop around her she had reeked of fear. It was barely there now; subdued by her ability to convince even herself that everything was just fine. It was impressive for sure, but more on the curious side for the bicolor brute. “Is that so?” His voice was low, on the cusp of a whisper; his lids had narrowed, accompanied by a questioning tilt of his alabaster head. He had missed something on his rounds, something important. He began another loop, but stopped short, how he had managed to miss it initially he didn’t know, perhaps her mane had shifted with her movements to make it clearer now. Regardless of how he had failed to observe it before it was clear as day now, a wound on her withers, nothing major injury-wise, in fact it was all but healed entirely, but it was significant in all other aspects. A wave of rage washed over him, flattening his ears and stretching out his lithe neck to bringing his sensitive nose forward in an attempt to scent out the bastard that had dared get to her before him, it was of course useless, far too old to hold even a hint of the brute’s scent. Novak shouldn’t have been upset as he was; she wasn’t his by any stretch of the imagination, but just the thought of being out done… His temper eased off, releasing his ears just the slightest so as to not muffle the world around them. “Don’t play coy with me Aiden, you know as tough as you are there are bastards around here that are tougher.” His voice was strained, still subject to his flared temper.

The lack of scent upon her injury meant he couldn’t immediately convict anyone of the deed, which frustrated him all the more. It did however bring to mind rape victims he had come across in the past. He had usually added insult to injury by considering such victims not worth his companionship – weaklings, insignificant collections of flesh. Was the same true for Aiden? His nose rested against her shoulder, taking in her scent with every long, steady breath, soothing his mind as he took her in. No, she was different, he knew her, if only vaguely from his observations. She could hold her own most of the time, though apparently not against this last stallion. It brought questions to mind, like: How goddamn huge was this bastard?. It was unsettling for sure, Novak was 16.2 hh, but that meant nothing here, there were brutes that towered 17-18 hh easy, warmbloods nonetheless, not some hulking draft that he could easily out move. A hush had come over him, which he interrupted with a soft spoken question. “So tell me, do you know his name?” His eyes were focused on her face intently, his neck folded to the left in order to face her properly; it was a rather awkward arrangement. “I don’t think I need to convince you to join me Aiden, you know well enough that it’s in your best interest. There’s no shame in being smart.” He nudged her shoulder, unfolding himself to stand parallel to her.

Although he was patient a notion interrupted his mind, perhaps it would be better if she wasn’t allowed to roam Tjos independently, he watched her quietly, thinking, observing. She didn’t like him – no one really did, not that he could blame them. Regardless of her absence of affection he needed a queen, someone level headed and outspoken that would be able to put up with his bullshit as well as dish it out in return. Was that not the petite mare beside him? “I think…” He trailed off, biting his tongue. Was he being hasty? Placing his confidence in a mare that had fallen victim to another’s lust… the resulting offspring would be denied the right of heir he knew that much. Not to mention there were still other mares to be acquired – it was probably in his best interest to take them all into consideration once they were all rounded up, then and only then would he go asking one or another to be his queen. He cleared his throat, steadying his voice to return it to its former smooth glory. “I think we might have to consider something more serious for you Aiden.” His expression was minimal, all business save the slightest hint of a smile in his eyes.

OOC: I think I’m coming to the realization that as much of a jerk as Novak can be he’s quite the softy when it comes to those he genuinely likes… :’D

AND wow im awful… sorry this took so long to get up D:

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[Padfoot¡]

It was odd, really. The stallion, his whispering, the touch on her shoulder, where it was still tender around the cut, gave the mare every reason to back away, to spit something offensive and caustic at him, to make him go away. It was in her nature, it was habit. She almost did. But he seemed to know what she was going through. He was being sympathetic, he was being gentle, and it wasn't like a stallion to be so... understanding. Could it be an act? If so, he was talented, to say the least.... She knew her act was imperfect, and he knew it too, but he was still here. So instead of pushing him away, the little mare seemed to collapse. The proud bearing went away, and she turned to stare at the ground. She was ashamed that she couldn't take care of herself.

"I... I don't know his name." Her voice had lost some of the confidence and the smoothness, become quieter. There were not tears, it was practically a rule with her, but there was a hint of it in her voice. "But he was black... with blue... blue eyes." She remembered how bright the eyes had seemed to her; it might have even been intriguing under a different circumstance. "But if I ever see him again, he won't get away." The confidence in her voice suddenly came back full force as she said it, her eyes flashing with a renewed hardness. You couldn't keep her from her self-assurance for long.

And then... "I think we might have to consider something more serious for you Aiden." Really? The voice in her head was hopeful. If she was going to go through with this, she wanted to be important. The mare took a deep breath. "I... okay. I'll go with you."

[ooc: 'dawwww soft spot. :'D I wonder how Aiden will react to that... he'll kinda be her one best friend, probably. <3]

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[Tea]

Black with blue eyes, the description was vaguely familiar, he had probably been in the same area as Novak at some point, pillaging and being a nuisance. The more he thought about it the more he came to recall the individual, though he too couldn’t place a name to the face. In fact the only thing he could distinctly remember was the stallion being outrageously tall. It was slightly worrying, but then Novak’s fiery spirit reared its head, reassuring him that should the day come that the two cross path’s his rage would be enough to take down the giant bastard. But what of the offspring? Surely it would be massive despite Aiden’s small stature, would she be able to foal safely? His mind raced franticly, nearly blocking out her confident statement. When her comment did hit home a devilish smile overtook his pallid features – damn did he adore her spirit. “I’ll happily ensure the scenario.” The thought had his blood pumping, his nostrils flared whilst his tail rose proudly, swishing back and forth in his subdued excitement. There was nothing better than beating up a stallion, let alone beating up a stallion with a mare for an accomplice.

His ears pricked as the mare took in a deep breath. This was it, he already knew her response, or he pretended, rather hoped, he did. I…okay. I’ll go with you. Damn straight, now that is what I like to hear! He resisted the urge to say the comment aloud, and instead settled for nudging her gently with his nose. ”I won’t let you down Aiden.” He raised his head proudly, looking down on her with a surprisingly gentle smile. It may have just been the butterflies due to his excitement, or perhaps he was simply caught up in the moment. Either or way he managed to shock himself with what he did next. His head lowered, coming down to press lightly against the auburn mare’s cheek. It was a loving gesture that he hadn’t exchanged… well ever… Not that big, ol’ Novak was in love or anything, just very appreciative and happy. Yea, that was it…

He removed himself from her as if it had been a perfectly normal gesture. Nor did he allow an awkward silence to overcome him and his newfound companion. ”So. Shall we attempt to find some others to join us? I’m sure you’d prefer to have some input on the matter. Especially seeing as the two of us are a little rough around the edges.” He chuckled softly at the last bit. How true it was proving to be. Though perhaps mares were just beyond stubborn these days, who knew.

OOC: BFFs definitely, it’ll be interesting to see how she reacts to his approach methods with other mares :’D ALSO, I LIIIIIVE xD Hot damn no internet blows :C

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[Padfoot¡]

Aiden's first first reaction would have been to move away from Novak's touch and tell him to back off, mister, 'cause they weren't even friends yet. But she didn't, and quite honestly that was the scariest thing the night had in store for her. It should have been instinct, but it didn't happen. The mare silently scolded herself to be more careful about this. Stallions were bastards, and she needed to remember that.

"I don't suppose I'll care one way or another. Almost all mares annoy me." The mare teased lightly, trying to skate over the awkward moment while nonchalantly taking a step away from the stallion. She had allowed herself to be vulnerable in front of him twice today. Twice. And now he thought it was okay to touch her... she needed to be more stern with him.

And possibly herself. The mare shook her head as though to clear her thoughts, sending her redish mane flopping around her neck. She hoped they would be move soon, and, even better, possibly get someone to break the sexual tension. The mare made a physical effort not to grimace.

[ooc: Gah it's good to see you back! -hugs- Please forgive the super-short post and the overall nappiness of it. ]

[Tea]

Ah, right… Unruly tomboy, not delicate flirt. Novak gave Aiden her space, slowly coming to terms with the fact that he had perhaps crossed a line between the two. No matter, she needed protection and he needed company, if that’s all that ended up happening between the two of them then so be it. He nodded quietly as she spoke, she was quite right mares weren’t liable to get along with her very well. It would be comical if he appointed her Vicereine or something. The thought of her petite, fiery self stalking around and ordering the other mares around, well it was simply priceless. Perhaps he would appoint her then, he had after all implied something of the sort. It was perhaps hasty, the notion of appointing her that is, but the two of them got along rather well to the point where he was starting to consider her for the position of queen. That is if no one better suited presented themselves.

He shrugged off the stream of thought before it became an overwhelming flood. His striking eyes watched the mare, his mare, as she tossed about her mane. ”I’ll direct you back to Tjos then, and you can assist me in dealing with others at a later date. Besides, I shouldn’t be hauling you all over the country side, not in the condition you’re in.” He nodded thoughtfully to himself, as if the motion confirmed his point. ”Yes… I have much trekking to do, business to attend to and the like.” He tossed his head, motioning for her to follow him. His mind was abuzz with thoughts, lots of business indeed. Now king, he needed a queen and subjects in order to fill his realm. He had a few in mind, the naïve mare of course, and also, though it might not have been on the top of other king’s to-do list, an old stallion relation. Yes, Chester would do nicely as an errand boy, partially blind or not he would learn to serve a purpose.

OOC: Yaaay hugs! –hugs- annnd no worries, short and sweet right? xD We can probably post in Tjos from here ^^

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[Padfoot¡]

Her... condition? Aiden's eyes narrowed slightly, resenting his choice of words. The notion of all the idiotic fawning over foals, and the way people tiptoed around pregnant mares... She shifted slightly, almost uncomfortably, wondering if it was something she would have to get used to. He didn't seem to know her well enough yet to avoid these kinds of conversations. "I don't want any special treatment." She assured him firmly, lifting her head proudly and swishing her tail around her rump. "I don't need it." She could already tell this was going to be something she would have to fight against.

In truth, Aiden was actually anticipating her foal. Just a little bit. And while this wasn't the way it would have happened at all, had she been given her way, she couldn't pretend she probably would have wanted it at some point. A foal was something she could love without being judged, and could be her own. She thought she might make a good mom. She had already found a few names drifting across her mind in between waking and sleep. Not that she would share any of that with anyone.

The mare flicked her tail at her rump, the action bringing her back to herself. "I'll come with you," She said, and while it wasn't a command, it made it clear she didn't want to be left behind.

ooc: Now I'm the one making you wait. Sorry 'bout that. ^^) We can go wherever; he's probably going to be calling the shots for a while, even if it doesn't seem like it. xD

[Tea]

N O V A K

It was funny how things went, how fast time flew by. Heck it was now full blown winter and he hadn’t so much as seen Aiden since they had agreed to her being his. She had been pregnant then, blossoming with some other stallion’s spawn, and now… Well he supposed the bastard had been born. It was due to the foal that Aiden and Novak had changed their minds about bringing her back to Tjos, it was too dangerous, what with the winds and the chill. No, it wouldn’t have been any good to bring her there, strong as she was the foal wouldn’t have survived.

Would’ve been for the best… He thought bitterly, his alabaster tail whisking at his hips agitatedly. She was his, it was his offspring she should’ve brought into the world not some other vile stallion. He tossed his plush head, snorting hot breath into the chilly air. As he inhaled the tantalizing scent of his mare, Aiden, tickled his senses. She was close, and by the smell of things her foal had been born. His ears flickered back momentarily before readjusting to their usual position. It wouldn’t be appropriate for him to be nasty just now, reuniting with the feisty mare would need to go smoothly in order for him to keep in her good graces. Y’know, so he could court her once she was done toting around her current offspring.

A promising pair of figures, huddled behind a skeletal copse of trees came into view. He wickered softly to them, genuinely pleased to catch sight of his bicolor comrade. ”Aiden!” He trotted up to the pair, though he was more focused on the red & white mare he had grown so fond of. ”I trust you’ve been well? And this is…?” He looked quietly at the dark filly by her side, she was… interesting.

OOC: nothing fancy, sowweh :C

[Padfoot¡]

Aiden and her new foal, Kenina, stood underneath the bare branches of a thin, dark tree near the edge of the plains. It offered scant cover from the cold, but it was off the beaten path, and a little more protected than the open plains. However, the mare still felt the stabbings of horrible guilt as her foal shivered against her, nuzzling the little girl in a vain attempt to warm her up. She supposed the bastard that had raped her hadn't had the consideration to know that the foal would be born in winter; it was doubtful at best that he had even given any thought to the fact that a foal had probably come of his actions. But still, the filly was here, and was most certainly Aiden's responsibility. Especially now.

The birth had been a hard one, not made any easier by the overtures of winter that accompanied it. As Novak had predicted silently that fall, the foal was a a little larger than normal, and Aiden being rather smaller than the average mare, it proposed horrible complications to a birth undertaken alone. However, if only by Aiden's pure stubbornness, both of them had survived it, huddling in secluded and protected corner of a forest until Kenina had been strong enough to move on. As much as the mare had hated it, she'd had a rendezvous to get to.

Then there was one more thing that had made the whole situation horribly real to Aiden. It had not been something that had been immediately obvious, but she had realized it fairly quickly, considering. It would be little things, at first. She would call Kenina's name and there would be no response. Selective hearing already? The mare would ask, only half-amused, before turning to corral the foal. But she wasn't so sure after a couple times. She paid close attention, and noticed a few things. A foal's ears should be constantly moving, but gradually she'd noticed that there was no pattern to how they turned; it wouldn't flick toward a bird call of a snapping twig, but just swiveled around vaguely. She had bright inquisitive eyes, but they followed movement only. She seemed to have no comprehension of speech.

So... Kenina was deaf. Aiden could remember the sinking feeling that had collected in her stomach as she'd come to the conclusion, just a week after the filly's birth. It had been terrifying--if a foal couldn't hear her, and couldn't learn speech--would she always be a stranger? How would she get along on her own? What... what would Novak do? Already she could have sensed that he was not happy about her having a child that was not his own, but she assumed he would deal with it--after all, it was her foal. Aiden would never allow herself to be a part of a foal's murder, no matter who the father was. But, a deaf one... well, at least it wasn't a colt.

And now he was here. Aiden heard him calling to her, with something akin to genuine pleasure in his voice. Still, the mare shifted slightly so that her foal was almost entirely behind her, hoping to delay the moment a little longer, and protect her foal. Maternal instinct had been another surprising thing that came with parenthood for her. "Novak." The mare said, happy to see him whatever her reservations may be about him and her foal. "I've been alright." It wasn't entirely true, but good God, she'd spilled her guts out to him once before and didn't want to go there again for a long while. She glanced at her foal. The filly had, thank the heavens, seen Novak coming, and looked entirely normal as she watched him with a bright interest, her ears swiveled forward purely on instinct. "This is Kenina."

ooc: Happy you're back. ^^) Woah... Pent-up writing got carried away. o.o

[Tea]

As Aiden shifted her weight to block the foal from view Novak returned his gaze to her bicolor face. It was a firm reminder of why he was so bitter about her offspring’s origins. Her charming features, even underneath the plush of her winter coat warmed the cockles of his chilled heart with a rush of pride and lust. It was such a shame that he hadn’t managed to get to her first; he dared to think that the foal by her side would be twice as attractive if he had been the father. Nonetheless, she was attractive by her own right, and thankfully not male. It would’ve been such a bother to have some other stud’s colt flailing about his kingdom.

She, it turned out, was Kenina. It was a fitting name, delicate and refined for a tall, graceful filly. Yes indeed tall, Novak couldn’t help but feel sorry for his mare. To have had her first foal be so large… it was truly a wonder that she still lived, though he was indeed grateful for her continued existence. He would’ve been right annoyed if his only mare keeled over dead due to some other bastard’s offspring. Ah yes his only mare, it was a disappointing statistic, one he wasn’t proud of in the least. Tjos needed more gems to adorn its pristine hills, he needed more gems to sedate his lust for finery. Novak was in that sense not unlike a magpie; he collected shiny things, pretty things, simply for the sake of having them. Though also with the intent of carrying on his line, currently there was but one foal to-be of his loins. One, it was a lousy number, no self respecting king left the chances of his continuation down to one descendant. He snorted softly, partially to clear his nasal passages from frost and partially due to inner frustration.

His eyes locked on Aiden’s, all interest lost in the foal that was not his own. ”I’m glad to hear that you’re alright. When winter is on its way out shall you and Kenina join me back to Tjos?” Hopefully her answer would be yes, but if not then no was acceptable too. For all he knew she wanted to wait until summer arrived to move the filly. She was after all still rather young and such an undertaking as travelling to Tjos might not be in her best interest. Particularly concerning travelling across the desert, the more he thought about it the more he felt certain that Aiden would decline. His ears slid back as the conclusion seemed to solidify between the pair; the chilled winter breeze gusted, the buffeting wind breaking him from silence. ”I suppose you shouldn’t… After all it is a rather tedious journey…” His tail flicked agitatedly. ”In the meantime I’ll be roaming about the woods. Doing… whatever the hell it is I do.” He chuckled bitterly at himself. Indeed, whatever it is the hell I do… Force claim and rape mares. Pff. Go me.

He considered leaving then, ambling off into the cold to continue his lonely hunt for treasure, but again the wind picked up, battering his frame. Begrudgingly he stepped closer to the pair, quietly placing his chin on Aiden’s withers and closing his eyes. He didn’t care what the mare thought, he was cold, and tired – both mentally and physically, and even kings needed their rest. Particularly ones that felt as unsuccessful as himself.

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[Padfoot¡]

Aiden instantly recalled the seemingly long-ago fall as Novak placed his muzzle on her withers. It still felt a little strange, something that was foreign to her almost to the point of being uncomfortable; when had she ever had experience with the feeling of being even almost loved? But... she still didn't move away. The touch almost indicated closeness, a bond she had generally lacked, even though most of the time she would have told you she preffered it that way. It was nice to know that she wasn't completely numb after the bitter winter, and the exhausted mare closed her eyes, trying to enjoy it. Surely it would be short-lived-- summer would come and he would have bigger things to tend to-- always, always bigger things than the little red mare--but for now, she could at least indulge in a relationship.

"I... I want to come with you." Aiden said, her eyes still closed as she leaned against the stallion. Her voice was more tired than usual; she longed for this closeness with someone, and, truth is, she couldn't handle this alone. A deaf foal and a long winer had seemed to drain some of the fire out of her. Surely it would return, and she would be rewarded for loyalty, coming with him, and that would all be good and well. Her life would be in order again. But for now she felt the inexplicable need to open up to someone. Something about Novak, true or false, made her a little bit different.

Aiden felt Kenina sidle up to her for warmth, and she cracked an eye, smiling slightly at her foal. There was no ill will toward the little girl-- she loved her more than even she could have forseen, and certainly wanted the best for her. The filly was moving around Novak, her ears still swirling in vague, indeterminate sort of way that would certainly give her away with the simplest of observations. Hoping the stallion's eyes were closed, the mare waited for his response, warmed by the two others.