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Rynia had braced herself for...well, for something sinister and diabolical. It had been an amazing relief to have the birds stay where they were, and an even greater relief when the deep-voiced bird had actually seemed to support her. True, it might be some sort of ploy or an attempt to lower her guard, but having one of the creatures finally, finally take her seriously and respect her wishes was a pleasant change of pace.

However, that ease was destroyed the second the previous spokesbird launched into her argument about Rynia's injuries. Being used to being knocked about and long past counting her scars, Rynia tended to ignore past injuries or half-healed wounds, making sure to treat them as she got them to ensure safe healing. Given that training was a daily occurrence and each new training session brought on a new injury, she would have been well past the point of rational thought if she allowed herself to think about the number of wounds she'd acquired.

The rather blunt appraisal by the birds brought color rushing to her face, though and she somewhat self-consciously spread her wings to cover her body completely. Trust a possible foe to zero in on things like wounds...though maybe they would take the wounds to assume that she was used to pain or combat and wouldn't be an easy kill?

It would be much easier to make sense of them if they didn't seem so very caring. That attitude made them even more perplexing; why would assassins care about her well-being? Or even strangers? Take care of yourself, because no one else would give two hoots for the state of your skin, that was the way she'd been taught.

She was starting to get very confused by these birds, and was only taken further aback at the sudden outburst by the female bird. Guilt? Why would any of them be troubled by guilt over something that was the result of the request of a total stranger to be left alone? It was non-interference to the nth degree, there was certainly nothing to be guilty about!

Her confusion, a distraction that would have both appalled and disgusted her mother, could have worked completely to Raines' advantage, had he realized it. As she hadn't been eyeing the 'puppet' bird when the voice had begun, it wasn't until the annoyed exclamation burst out from a completely different direction that she realized that the oddly deep voice did not in fact belong to the bird, came from a completely different, unknown, unseen, and possibly large and dangerous source. At that realization, her eyes grew round and fearful and she drew back flat up against the protective rock; even the laughable exchange by the birds went unnoticed as she stared about into the trees. She wasn't sure she wanted to see the speaker, but seeing one's adversary was better than being in the dark!

Except he was well hidden, apparently; too well-hidden to be seen from her current spot, and she wasn't about to leave the protection of having something at her back at this point. Though really, if he could talk through a bird, perhaps he could attack through a rock? No, that was just silly. Really silly. Only the Spirits could do things like that...

All at once she tensed, wondering if that was, in fact, the answer. Were these birds the vanguard of one of the Spirits itself? Was that deep, calming yet terrifying voice from nowhere the physical manifestation of one of the protecting spirits of nature???

It was difficult to say whether being in the presence of a Spirit was better or worse than a homicidal mob, but it did have one benefit; Rynia managed to relax a bit, realizing that if there WAS a Spirit there, there was nothing she could do anyway, so she might as well appreciate the chance to witness something truly extraordinary.

Addressing herself to both the birds and the surrounding trees, she managed a small, timid smile and said, "You don't have to apologize to me, I'm sure. I'm not the best person to meet people anyway, and I'm not..." Chattering. Not a good idea, too much speech could be taken as weak or offensive. Neither was a good idea, given the situation. Resolving to keep her words in check, she amended and updated her statement to a slight bow to the birds. "You are all very kind, and your loyalty to...him is admirable." What was 'him,' though? "You have as much a right to be here as I do, I'm just-" Pausing again, she cast around for the right words, then lamely finished with, "Not used to having strangers around."

As if they couldn't have figured that out for themselves!

Sometimes it was easier to give in than to stand and resist any longer in fear. Rynia's nerves had practically reached their breaking point prior to her resolution to die with dignity; her discovery of the disembodied voice had pushed them halfway over the edge...and her acceptance of the fact that she was in the presence of one of the spirits had pulled them back from brink. Perhaps it was counter-intuitive; to a mare terrified of nearly everything new and different (and many things old and familiar, if she were to be honest), being in the presence of a god should be enough to give her a heart attack. Instead, it proved to be the exact opposite; if the voice did indeed belong to a spirit who commanded the birds of the air, nothing she could do would be able to save her anyway, so she might as well take what enjoyment she could from the situation!

Knowing her upbringing, it might be surprising to know that she believed in the spirits at all, much less held them in awe. Her parents certainly hadn't done much to instill any sense of spirituality in her; her mother in particular spoke of the world's spirits as nothing more than fairy tales created to weaken believers' sense of self-sufficiency and control of their own fate. Ladius' opinions on the matter were that believing in the spirits was tantamount to believing in Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny; meant for children at best, and those had better be some damn young children!

But Rynia had found some comfort in the idea of creatures that truly cared about creation and it's inhabitants, even while doubting that they existed. Daydream though they might be, they were a comforting daydream on a dark day, something that she had clung to in her moments of deepest despair. She had never thought them to be real, up until the date that she had been encountered by the mysterious mare Kaiya. Though terrified of the mare's many wings, large form, and general strangeness, she had been drawn in by the unabashed warmth and kindness of that mare, and looked back on that meeting later with the firm conviction that she had met a physical manifestation of one of the spirits. All things considered, this disembodied voice made just as much sense as a spirit, albeit a different sort.

And if he was a spirit, and he was with these birds, then they had to be special birds. In retrospect, that also made the organized birdsong from earlier make more sense; she should have suspected from the get-go that there was something unique and not of this world of a song that organized! It might have been sensible and practical to think that they were diabolical and up to no good, but wasn't it just as plausible to think that they were otherworldly?

Ok, maybe it wasn't, but she couldn't change the past, merely make the most of the present.

Really, the birds were entertaining when she wasn't being afraid of them. They had funny high voices, ssaid funny things, and looked incredibly soft and squishy. Not that she would try and squish one, of course, but they certainly looked interesting. And for all their earlier distress, they were behaving quite mannerly now. She particularly liked the odd little quiet one; of the three, he was the most non-threatening!

She took in the introductions quietly, but with more interest and less fear than she'd shown up until then. At the claim that the quiet bird was named Twig, she even managed an almost giggle! Imagine, being an attendant on a spirit and being named after a piece of wood! It was like she herself being named...well, Grass. Or Pasture.

She sobered up again at the introduction of the mysterious voice, a bit perplexed at the word 'choirmaster'. She'd never heard the word choir before, and the phrase was somewhat of a mystery to her, saved only by the inclusion of the word 'master'. At least that brought context to the rest of the statement; he must call the group of birds his choir!

"You must be important; I can't think that you would be anything else." This was directed at the mysterious Raines, before she finally gave the birds her own name. The idea of anonymity was comforting, but at this point she couldn't withhold her name without being very, very rude. And using an alias, one of the first things that would have occurred to her mother if presented with a similar situation, never even occured to her; and even if it had she couldn't lie to a spirit! "I'm Rynia...and you don't have to worry, Acallia. This isn't my home." This was accompanied by a slight, almost imperceptible facial twitch; it wasn't her home because she didn't have a home, not a real home. This territory was her mother's; this single spot was her refuge, but she spent less than two hours of her day there. Any more time than that, and Ladius would surely have to investigate where her wayward child was 'hiding', and the last thing Rynia ever wanted was to have this one safe place desecrated.

The birds would never hear from her either that no one visited this area because no one felt safe doing so; that the resident 'alpha dog' was a territorial and brutal creature that would attack anyone she found straying into her territory. It was beneficial to them all that Ladius wasn't around that part of the territory at the moment, otherwise she would have been amidst the birds at the first note. Then again, they had a distinct advantage in being winged...but there was no need to tempt fate.

Tempting fate like straying too far away for too long, for example. The invitation to watch 'rehearsals' was a bit amazing to the mare who had never been invited to do anything in her life, all the more because she didn't know what a 'rehearsal' was...but she knew that before too long she would have to make her way off. Combat training wasn't the entire day, but Ladius liked to have Rynia about her regularly as she herself trained, scouted, and monitored the area: the better to criticize and 'improve' her daughter's understanding of the dangers and responsibilities involved in living a secure life.

No, she'd have to turn down the invitation. Perhaps another time, some day... "You are most kind, all of you, but I don't think that I can. I don't have much time before-" She broke off then with a slight frown, realizing that she was on the verge of being indiscreet once again. She might have been found herself, but if her mother ever heard a whisper of Rynia mentioning HER... "Before I have to go." A lame finish, but at least it wasn't indiscreet.

She had to ask, though: "But what is a 'rehearsal'?"

Rynia's relative ignorance of spiritual matters was revealed in her incorrect assumption that spirits and gods were the same thing. As far as she had been able to determine, the two were essentially identical: heavenly beings who kept watch over the doings of the world. But then, as she'd only heard both mentioned dismissively by her mother and then heard ONE term used by Kaiya in an explanatory manner, it had seemed logical that if one term meant something positive, that the other must mean the same thing. That she was using them incorrectly didn't occur to her, and likely never would unless she was corrected. And since she didn't plan on specifically vocalizing that thought, she could very well go on in ignorance for some time!

It was a calming ignorance, though, and allowed her to enjoy the latter part of this meeting a great deal, indulging her curiosity with what was proving to be a very kindly spirit. Well, a kindly spirit and a kindly flock of of birds.

She was a bit taken aback at his modesty, but supposed that it made sense. The last spirit-type that she had met, Kaiya, had been that way, too; Kaiya had just lacked a flock of attendants to defer praise to. Still, it was very kind of the spirit to give the birds as much credit as he did; even if they themselves were the singers, he was the one that brought them together, it seemed. And they in turn seemed quite fond of him, as the chiming in by the three spokesbirds attested. She gave her small, slight smile again as the birds spoke their thoughts and once again descended into bickering; it was amusing and endearing both, like children that had never had discipline ground into them from infancy. She and Shiraz had never had that sort of relationship; Shiraz had been her protector and her helpmate, even while trying to motivate her to perform at the level their parents had expected. It was something positive in her sister's favor that in spite of being a model child for Ladius and Entreri, Shiraz had always been supportive of her sister. Rynia really did miss her...

But Shiraz was long gone, released to do her best to spread the ideology of their parents. She appeared occasionally, but such visits were few and far between and usually dominated by their mother who, in spite of highly favoring Shiraz, did NOT approve of such 'soft' family bonds.

Thought of Ladius made Rynia look upwards briefly, checking the position of the sun in the midday sky through a gap in the trees. This 'rehearsal' sounded interesting, truth be told, but she couldn't risk being late. If she were to be late, Ladius would come looking for her, and then...

She'd rather not think about the 'then;' not just for her own sake, but for everyone involved. The birds, the spirit...even her mother, truth be told, because in spite of the abuse she still had a bizarre attachment to the mare that had borne her and completely dominated her life. If she were to be struck down by a spirit, it would be what she deserved for attacking said spirit, but still...it was a complex situation that she would ultimately prefer to avoid!

Still, after a careful consideration of the situation, she made a bold decision. "I think that I would like to listen to you, for a little while...but first you would need to go back in the direction you came from. This spot, it's not a good place for song." What went unspoken was the unique echoing properties of the surrounding rocks; Ladius might not be in earshot now, but if the birds started their group singing HERE, then the mare would undoubtedly hear and have to investigate. "But if you're sure it's no trouble, I would like to listen for a little while."

It might seem a small concession, but the birds and Raines would likely never know just how incredible a concession she was making!

The enthusiasm of the birds was certainly not contagious, but it was amusing and laughable at the same time. Rynia wasn't given to being too demonstrative, but she did crack the barest hint of a smile as she surveyed the chaotic birds. For being attendants of a spirit, they certainly weren't staid or dignified! Though she supposed that different sorts of spirits would necessarily have different sorts of attendants...still, it was almost terrifying, their enthusiasm!

At least she'd gotten past that particular hurdle, and was able to focus on their Choirmaster, instead, who in addition to not being visibly neurotic was the only one speaking sense. Aside of calling her 'lady'; she wasn't sure what that term meant, aside of being uncomfortably close to her mother's name. At the term, she had shifted somewhat uncomfortably, wondering if that was his oblique spirit way of saying that he knew her history and her family line. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, and it made her more than a little bit uncomfortable, to the point where she considered backing out of this little arrangement.

But no, she'd already said yes. It was probably fine, because if he new about her family, he would have known earlier, too.

So when the birds took off, she followed them gamely enough. At the first step on her bad leg she was unable to avoid the wince and hiss of pain, and promptly took wing herself to follow after the birds instead. Her wings, at least, were still in good shape; though Ladius continued to show no mercy in her training exercises, she mostly left her daughter's wings alone, tending her condescendingly that as fleeing was the only combat skill she excelled in, damaging her wings would leave her defenseless. A nice mother, Ladius.

So she followed quickly after the birds, moving with surprising agility through the trees before ending up in the clearing. Once there, she was struck with just how very many, many, MANY birds there were; the sound of their conversations, high pitched and rapid paced, was practically overwhelming. Paranoia bubbled once more to the surface, and she landed near the edge of the clearing, her back against a sturdy tree for both safety and support. That taken care of, she could settle back...and wait.

It was beneficial for all concerned that Raines stayed out of sight; though when she had met Kayai she had learned that the spirits could appear in Soquili form and she knew from the voice that he was masculine, it was still a bit much for her at this point to see him as a stallion. Creepy as a disembodied voice was, it was still easier to relate to than a stallion for a mare terrified of the other gender.

But the disembodied voice factor was forgotten when the birds began to sing. She had had a chance earlier to hear what it sounded like when all the birds were chattering at once; hearing them all singing as once was something completely different and unexpected. The soft, carrying strains that she had heard earlier from a distance held nothing to the overpowering rush of sound, all the voices singing in tune with one another. It was awe-inspiring, and it was beautiful.

~~~~

It was also very, very carrying: between the high pitched voices and the related volume, the sound of the scales carried a great distance through the trees, catching the ear and consequently the attention of Rynia's mother, Ladius. As was her habit, she had been on a patrol loop of her territory since the end of her morning training session with her daughter; it had been an uneventful and depressing session, and the patrol had done nothing to abate her continued frustration at the perversity of her younger daughter. Nothing she said ever seemed to click with Rynia; though the girl was swift on her feet, she had no stamina, no focus, and no will; she never even tried to improve herself or abide by any of Ladius' advice, and seemed determined to live and die as a complete failure. It was enough to make a mare sick!

She had been mulling over the numerous flaws and failings of her daughter when the first note had reached her ears; it hadn't taken long for her to recover from the surprise at hearing such a sound, and soon she was heading off in its direction, head low and tread silent.

((*coughs* Sorry in advance for the novel you are about to receive...))

This was Ladius' domain, and many years of defense and border patrol had made her intimately acquainted with every rock, tree, slope, and stream that dotted occupied the nondescript patch of forest she called home. Though it sprawled over five miles square, Ladius made it her habit to be familiar with the whole of the space, doing at least two circuits of the area a day. It was a matter of pride to her that she know everything that was going on in her space; having no one else that could be relied on to maintain the security of the territory put a lot of strain on her, but she thrived on the challenge. Indeed, it could be said that the challenge was what kept her going; her life had consisted largely of disappointments, and dwelling on them would be enough to drive a weaker mare to despair. The pathetic nature of most mares, the chauvinistic and condescending nature of most stallions, the complete disregard for combat-readiness...it was disgusting.

She had done her best to try and overcome the obstacles posed by 'society at large'. As a young mare, she had tried her hoof at traveling, picking fights with any stallion that dared to patronize or try to coddle her and savagely berating the mares she met that allowed and encouraged the weakness of themselves and their gender as a whole. The experience had only served to deepen her bitterness and rage at a world where strength and courage were nothing and inanity and 'cuteness' was everything. Enraged and bitter, she had withdrawn to her original territory, the piece of woods she now called home. Her back was turned on the world, and it became her obsession and life's mission to maintain the sanctity of this one piece of ground. Here, she reigned supreme, and here, strength was everything.

A chance encounter with the stallion Artemis Entreri had given rise to the hope that perhaps the world itself wasn't completely beyond redemption. Entreri had been a fighter's fighter, strong, swift, and without mercy. He had fought her without holding back, and she had respected him for it; their combat was brutal and neither escaped injury, but the two had come to an understanding as kindred spirits. It was Entreri who she had accorded the ultimate privilege: with their respective genes, it was the hope that they would be able to breed others like themselves: strong and right-minded, who would perhaps be able to tip the scales a little more in the right direction.

But what had started out as a brilliant idea had ended in the worst of shames and humiliations. Two daughters had resulted from the union, which had at first delighted their mother: strong mares were what the world most needed. Better yet, each child had inherited a combat advantage from their alicorn father: the elder, whom they had called Shiraz, bore the horn of a unicorn; the younger, Rynia, a wind's wings. It had been a glorious sight, indeed, but that was quickly lost when Ladius and Entreri had come to learn what sort of children they had. Shiraz had possessed the reflexes and canniness of her parents, but perversely clung to a loyalty that would lead to her death if she weren't careful, and Rynia...

Rynia. The mere thought if her younger daughter was enough to make the bile rise up in Ladius' throat. Although swift and agile of wing and foot, Rynia had always been the most timorous, cowardly, anxiously, insecure, non-combative creature that Ladius had ever encountered: Rynia hated fighting, would never be on the aggressive, wouldn't even defend herself in combat, had no sense of self preservation, and a disgustingly soft heart. Ladius had originally hoped to turn her daughter through discipline and training, but as the years went by with backwards, if any, progress, Ladius had come to the gloomy realization that her daughter would never be more than a failure. Her own bitterness had returned full-force at the realization, bitterness that was directed outwards at the world and most forcefully at her daughter. Ladius had made a firm resolution: she WOULD bring Rynia around, or see her die trying. Under no circumstances would Rynia be allowed the freedom of her sister, lest she bring about that inevitable death in a way that would bring even more shame to her parents: at least this way, no one else would ever have to see the physical manifestation of a fallen dream.

She allowed her daughter some time to herself, even though she knew (unbeknown to her daughter) that Rynia squandered that time mooning around by the river. It was a ridiculous habit, but Ladius allowed her the indulgence in the thought that at least that river bordered one edge of the territory: and with Rynia's skittish nature, she would undoubtedly serve as some sort of warning.

That in mind, Ladius was honestly surprised when she passed by her daughter's usual lounging place to see that Rynia was nowhere in sight. Odd, all things considered: after that morning's training session, she had fully expected to see Rynia there bathing her wounds or some other such silliness, as she always did. Yet here it was, a scant couple of hours since, and there was no sight of her...

As she passed by, continuing onwards towards the increasingly loud sound, Ladius' lip curled involuntarily. No doubt her daughter had heard the sound of the creatures and been spooked, running off somewhere to hide. If she were being charitable, she might go so far as to think that Rynia had gone to locate HER, but it was far more plausible that she was off somewhere, cowering.

It was no wonder that many insects ate their young.

Her face now firmly settled into a scowl, Ladius dropped into a low slink as she made her way towards the border clearing where the sound was unquestionably coming from. She was reasonably confident that it was birds at this point, given the vocal type, but it was, far more worryingly, organized birds. She had never trusted familiars or the Soquilis that employed them, and had every belief that this group was up to something devious. Ah well, there was no time like the present to take care of intruders.

She was prepared for combat, nearly in a crouch as she quietly made her way up through the trees. She was ready to deal with whoever was there...

She just wasn't expecting it to be her daughter.

~~~

The sound was so rich, beautiful, and varied, it was like something out of a dream. Allowing herself to be swept up in the music, Rynia had slowly but surely lost her tense stance and concern for time, resting her cheek against the tree and closing her eyes so that she could concentrate fully on the music. It was truly amazing, for a soul starved of everything light or wondrous, and she was awestruck at the immense privilege that she had been granted in being allowed to listen.

However, all dreams must eventually end.

It was difficult to pinpoint exactly what had tipped her off. There had been no vocalization, no really noticeable footfall, no change of background noise or anything else to serve as a tip-off that something was amiss. Yet the sensation had struck Rynia suddenly and forcefully, causing her to first straighten up, then look around her warily...right back into the cold, disbelieving eyes of her mother.

Though she was lang since grown to adulthood, Rynia had never been able to escape the fear that had dominated her relationship with Ladius. Even if Ladius had been less up-front with telling her what a failure she was, Ladius' cold behavior towards her and complete lack of maternal concern or warmth would have been enough to give her an insecurity complex. As things were, the mere sight of her mother was enough to send her into a swirling vortex or discomfort and, currently, panic.

There was no way her mother would look kindly on the birds and their unseen spirit leader, than much was certain. Indeed, Rynia was quick to realize, it had to be due to the birds that Ladius was here at all; immediately she berated herself for allowing herself to be distracted by the temptation of pleasure, rather than advising the spirit to pass on through. That would have been safer for all...

Still, it was too late to do anything about it now, except for hoping that the spirit and his birds could take a hint.

It took an uncomfortably long time to gather her wits in the face of Ladius' glare, but as soon as she was able Rynia was turning to face her, straightening up to stand soundly on all four legs (as Ladius hated weakness and would never allow that a leg would was sometime to be coddled). "Mother, you didn't have to-"

Without giving her daughter a chance to finish, Ladius cut in, her gaze fierce. "I didn't have to? Obviously you and I have very different definitions of having to do anything, Rynia, or can you deny that this sound has been going on for a great deal of time, under your direction supervision?" Ladius had never been one to yell; raising her voice was unnecessary, unstealthy, and served no purpose. Her daughter had long ago learned that with Ladius, the softer and steelier her voice got, the more dangerous the situation was, and now was no exception. Though still clear and audible, Ladius' voice was dangerously soft, and her extreme anger was obvious.

As well it should be, for this was no mere childish game. This was her daughter, indulging herself and her strange whims at the expense of her own and the territory's safety; this was something to be abhorred and loathed, not greeted with enthusiasm!

Rynia could tell that she was in dangerous territory, and quaked inwardly; outwardly, she did her best to remain straight and solid on her feet. She knew her mother well enough to know that she didn't get a chance to explain, that there was nothing she COULD explain; indeed, she knew herself that what she had done was beyond foolish. But she would try, at least. "Yes, I was watching, but it was merely to make sure that they were leaving! I wanted to make sure that they were no threat." Rynia spoke quickly, allowing her voice to raise slightly with the hope that the birds or the spirit would hear her and take the hint. After all, they could fly and her mother couldn't; that would take care of everything!

For Ladius, though, the words meant another thing entirely: no child of hers should be passively watching a threat, and she snarled, rearing up and giving the mare a hard clout on the side of the head. "You watched? Watched to determine if an airborne threat was a threat? Had you been eaten by an airborne menace, it would have been penance enough on you for your stupidity; instead, you once again leave me to deal with the results of your disregard for all proper procedures!"

She had more to say, much more, but now was not the time. Already acutely aware that her cover was blown and that the whatevers were likely gone, she nonetheless swept roughly past her daughter into the clearing, her quick eyes darting about for stragglers. Once the territory was safe would be soon enough to discipline her wayward child.

Ladius had never been one to mince words or opinions, temper her disgust or upset, or abide by the requests or rules of anyone other than herself. As the undisputed ruler of this little chunk of territory, it had always been her wish and expectation that her word was law, the way that she wanted things done was done. When she said jumped, her daughter was supposed to levitate! It was true that Rynia had always lacked in understanding, skill, and drive, but she had always shown a strong propensity towards obedience that Ladius had made a point of encouraging, through any means necessary.

That fact made this unsavory new development all the worse. Rynia had always been assumed worthless in the face of danger, but to learn that she was not merely useless but an accessory was enough to make the bile rise in Ladius' throat. Proper procedure was to remove intruders; if Rynia was neither able or willing to take such measures herself, then she was to silently withdraw (one pseudo-combat skill that Ladius did grudgingly allow Rynia to possess was the ability to be silent) and seek out her mother as someone who WOULD address the situation promptly. With her wings, Rynia could cover a great deal of distance in a much shorter time than her mother, even if she was sticking low to the ground.

Obviously Ladius would have to re-evaluate her stance towards her daughter; if this was how she handled having freedom, then freedom was something she could no longer be trusted with.

~~~~~~~~~~

For her part, Rynia was overwhelmed with emotion; fear and shame warring for top billing. he side of her head where she had been struck throbbed painfully, but being as how pain was something she was used to it didn't bother her as much as the undisputed rage her mother was displaying and the likely ramifications. Ladius had never been one that Rynia had been able to reason with, to the point that she'd long since given up trying; indeed, she was impressed and shocked at her audacity in attempting to justify herself already. This was not going to end well, she could already tell.

But at least she'd been able to occupy her mother's attentions long enough for the birds to get away; she didn't want to think about what damage Ladius could have done to such fragile organisms...

She was drawn out from such introspective thoughts when she heard something that shocked her; the voice of the spirit was defending her! A voice, raised in protection of her and defense of her behavior, something that she'd never heard from anyone before in her life. At most, she'd been excused, and even that had been a stretch. It was so shocking that it took a moment for her to process it...and then realize, with horror, the ramifications as Ladius turned to fix her in an incredibly baleful stare.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Forget angry, Ladius was LIVID as she listened to the voice. That it was a male voice and a stranger was only the tip of the iceberg; it was a stranger defending careless behavior, chastising HER for justified concern, obliquely threatening her...and calling her mare in an incredibly condescending way. As a raging feminist herself, there were few things more guaranteed to get her goat than to make any sort of derogatory reference to her gender, even if said reference was more of a reference to the fact that the speaker didn't know her name.

Regardless, she was furious, and as the speaker wasn't in sight, it fell to her daughter to first feel the force of her displeasure. Included in the glance was an unspoken promise that Rynia understood very well: there would be consequences to deal with later.

But for now, there was a threat to deal with, and that was of a higher priority than a wayward child. Even a very, very foolish one.

Casting her sharp gaze around the area, Ladius replied to his words with what could charitably be called a snort. "Pretty words, coming from a trespasser, stranger, and stallion who has no claims to or understanding of this place. But anyone can spout words; it's something else to back them up." She stood out in the open, knowing full well that she was exposed and practically daring the stallion to attack her, wherever he was; she'd taken on a kalona in a meadow before and represented herself quite well; in her home turf, she was more than willing to face him, whoever he was. Having something to attack would be a refreshment at the moment, and her daughter was even useless as a punching bag!

His defense of her daughter, she didn't deign to acknowledge, but mother and daughter both knew that it too would be something addressed in the near future. Stallions defending mares: another Ladius pet peeve.