Sleepy Fox Hollow aint nothing in this world for free

@Wolfshelm ! <3

having stuck to her guns, selune had not joined the charming stallion and his rowdy herd of mares. and she would not until the man was more than just smiles and honeyed-words. she departed from her fields with a scowl; her meal interrupted, her peace squashed. and yet she had not departed from the valley completely. instead, she'd followed a trickling stream. her hooves making their indents in the dirt now turned mud. a trail that she dared one to follow.

cantering around a bend until finally, she'd found it's source. a grotto tucked away, serene and peaceful. she'd call it home until she'd grow bored and wander again. tail swaying, the fiery mare relaxed as she stood in the shallows. her hide twitching in content, her neck lowered as she drank with an easy leisure.

though his brother had welcomed him into the herd, wolf knew to take that with a grain of salt. colosseum had grown with an inflated sense of self, he’d quickly taken note—and that seemed to be the trademark downfall of most stallions once they had their claim to fame.
wolf wasn’t too content on ending up the same way, and it’s why he’d never fancied himself a lead stallion, that and the constant bickerin’ of mares he’d be expected to quell. nah, that wasn’t a way of life he was pining after.
let his brother drink his fill of ego-stroking and wolf would be there to fight tooth and hoof for the man—that was what a brother did.
but wolfshelm would save himself the trouble by sticking to the edges, placating himself a soldier on the outskirts, fit to protect the herd from any lurking threats. mountain lions, wolves; they wouldn’t get past the stallion.
his midnight stalking led him in a direction he hadn’t expected, though. lured unconsciously by the scent of a lone mare, draped in heat and gunsmoke. he could only assume it was one of colosseum’s who’d managed to sneak away, and he blew a harsh breath past flaring nostrils as he set course for her.
a slow ample her way, hoofs striking the earth with harsh annoyance. finding her, and giving a snort in her direction. colosseum don’t fancy runaways, miss. wolf warns.

ears swivel and muscles shift beneath the mare's dusty coat, head lifting just enough so she could watch the stallion approach with a snort. he's a handsome devil—more so than the stallion who'd danced for her. the stallion she rejected. 

she does not move, does not bow. eyes are sharp with rebellion as she ignores the man's warning. she meets it with a low, short laugh of bitter amusement. "it's a good thing i ain't one of his mares then, hm?" her drawl bored. 

she hakes her mane away from her eyes, raises her head higher. chin tilting the slightest in challenge, in defiance. "'n who are you? ain't seen a lead keep other men 'round before." a chewtoy, perhaps? or was the handsome devil a drifter always skirting around the edges of the colosseum's vision?

her reply draws the narrow of brown eyes centering upon her. giving a jerk of his head in response as he saddles away some few feet, haunches twitching with a bubbling tension.
tail swatting at his hindquarters when a phantom itch came rippling to life against his dun bitten coat.
that so? he grumbles in response, tossing her a indifferent look. n’ does he know that? a genuine inquiry. his brother had never been the type to answer too well to rejection. but who did? it was a gnawing wound for anyone, wolf figured.
her comment draws a low huff from the aged stallion. low in his throat and not quite a laugh but not quite dismissive. ain’t no lead, miss. wolf says. colos m’ brother. let me hang ‘round ‘cause i didn’t want his mares. n’ still don’t. his gaze hardens on her. briefly looking her over, and it’s hard not to stare longer. something about a bay roan with that fiery, dangerous look in her eye set the man in an uncomfortable corner. tail like a whip, mane set loose over that wild eye.
he flicks a ear and starts to head off in the opposite direction. won’t hold ya up, then.