Welcome to Gaia! ::

The night was warm for the time of year. Perhaps that was why he couldn’t sleep. The dapple-grey stallion had wandered, restless, through the gentle hills at the borders of D’ob, far from most of his herd. Now he stood at the top of a small rise at the edge of the Hellene Territories, looking out across D’ob. He would have loved to extend the herd’s territory over that lush green land, but his tacticians had advised against it. He could simply have ignored them, but he knew that they were more skilled than he in such matters. Discretion was not exactly his strong point.

Meleager sighed and lowered his head to nibble at the grass. The wind rustled the leaves of the nearby copse, the cool air a welcome change in the still and muggy night. But above the whispering leaves, his sharp ears caught the distinctive sound of hooves, and the stallion was instantly on guard. He swung round towards the sound, certain that he spotted a flicker of movement amongst the tree trunks. “Show yourself!” the Reya called, with an impatient flick of his tails.

There was a moment of complete stillness, and he almost doubted that he’d seen anything – then the shadow in the trees stepped into the starlight.

Meleager’s eyes widened slightly, and he barely restrained the surge of fury that spread through him – the creature was black, black as the night sky above them. No wonder he hadn’t seen it earlier – save for a sprinkling of greyish spots across his chest, the Aeri stallion could have been a shadow himself.

The dark Nequus tilted his head to one side with an expression of polite enquiry. “Good evening.”

Meleager shifted position, pawing the ground in annoyance. How dare this dark stranger be so impudent? Had he no idea where he was? The grey stallion responded to his address with a long stare and then, in an icy tone, added, “Your evening is about to get a little less pleasant, dark one.”

The stranger laughed. “Says you. Now why don’t you back off, friend,” he continued with a distinctly unfriendly note in his voice, “and let a stallion enjoy his evening walk in peace.”

“Little chance of that, dark one, when your evening walk involves trespassing on my land and bringing your evil influence near my herd.” Meleager’s patience with the stallion was wearing thin. He would once have been content just to let him leave, but now the familiar desire for action was growing in his heart. The herd had too long been peaceful. It was unnatural – like the presence of this black Aeri, who would make the perfect first conquest of a new campaign.

“And who are you to claim the rights to this land?” the dark Nequus inquired.

Meleager let out a short laugh. “Truly, you are ignorant! This is the land of the Hellenes, the greatest warrior herd in all of Urin.” It was no idle boast, Meleager knew, and with a proud toss of his mane, he advanced on the black Aeri. “The Hellenes live here, under my leadership, and under my protection. I am Herdleader Meleager, and I will protect my people from the likes of you!” The stallion reared in challenge.

Behind him, the moon sailed out from behind a cloud, and he saw the Aeri’s eyes glint with malice. The black creature reared in return, one large hoof striking a glancing blow to the Reya’s shoulder. Meleager twisted away and dropped to the ground. He stepped back, making room to charge, keeping his eyes on the Aeri. The dark stallion, back on all four legs, was circling away from him. He edged closer to the shelter of the trees, but the movement did nothing to dissuade Meleager from attacking him.

The dappled stallion charged, turning as his opponent sidestepped, his horn scoring a long gash along the Aeri’s side. He pulled up sharply, finding his breaths coming quickly with the thrill of battle, and with the exertion of it. Almost instantaneously he swung round again, berating himself for becoming lazy and unfit in times of peace. The dark stranger seemed not to have noticed, too preoccupied with the pain in his side and the blood oozing from the wound. Meleager reared triumphantly, and came down with his hooves aimed at the other’s back.

The Aeri stumbled at the impact, and it was that movement that allowed him to escape what would have been certain defeat; he slipped sideways out from under the bulky stallion’s hooves, hauled himself to his feet again, and backed away.

Meleager advanced, bloodied horn lowered in readiness. “Not so cocky now, evil one,” he murmured, “not so ready to bring your bad luck on my herd. Prepare for your fate, dark one – this is the last time you will spread your evil influence across Urin.”

The black Aeri coughed, wincing as he lifted his head to look the Reya in the eye. “All this because I trespassed on your land – truly, the Hellenes are great warriors, to be so starved of opponents as to attack lone travellers,” he said, a note of bitter amusement in his voice.

The dappled stallion shook his head. “Were you merely a traveller, I would let you leave with a warning,” he replied, “but you are no innocent – a creature of such evil omen as you deserves to die. I must protect my people from your kind.”

Your daughter excepted? a small voice queried in the back of his mind, but he ignored it. Melantho was a different case entirely. Meleager stepped forward again, and the Aeri closed his silvery eyes, seemingly resigned. The grey stallion pawed the ground in annoyance. “Face me, coward,” he urged the other Nequus mockingly. “Face your fate like a Nequus who deserves an honourable death.”

There was a pause; the dark stallion didn’t respond, just stood still, waiting. Meleager moved closer, ready to rear and knock him to the ground. Possessed by rage, he didn’t notice the tensing of the Aeri’s muscles, the flicker of his eyelids – the first he knew of the stallion’s movement was as he was thrown backwards by the force of the taller Nequus barrelling into him. As soon as the dapple-grey stallion regained his balance, he turned in the direction the other had run – and saw nothing. The Aeri had vanished among the shadows he so resembled.

Meleager cursed. “Coward!” he called after the shadow, lashing out at a nearby tree in his anger. The sound and feel of splintering wood gave him a bitter kind of satisfaction, and his temper began to subside into simmering frustration. That stallion needed to be dealt with; he was a danger and a bad omen for the herd. His death was preferable, but Meleager would settle, if necessary, for him being far away. The dapple-grey stallion sighed, and with a last look around for any sight of the dark Aeri, he set off back to his herd at a swift gallop.

That stranger would be dealt with if it took him until midsummer. It was about time the Hellenes saw some action again.