Sleepy Fox Hollow Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?

for @Sundown and @Fancy: @Selenia welcome, ofc!

colosseum moved through it like thunder in the bones, head high, ears twitching, the pale mare at his side.
sundown.

he’d taken her scent and let her take his. the dust hadn’t settled between them, not fully—but she followed, and that was enough for now.

the air changed as they neared the grove. familiar. guarded.

he stopped atop a low rise and turned his head to the wind, chest swelling.
then—

a sharp, cutting neigh tore from his throat. 

@Fancy.

he knew she was near. her scent clung to the bramble, to the moss-slick stones and brush freshly trampled. always watching. always just beyond.

he stood still now, tail flicking once, letting the sound of his voice echo into the vale.

sundown beside him.
a new piece.
one the lead mare would judge like she did everything—with eyes sharp as stones and silence sharper still.

cameo! <3

not long at all after meeting fancy in her heat, colosseum brought home a new mare. selenia though this was a bold action on his part, though she inherently comprehended that this was what stallions did. with the potential for three foals to be sired this year, he was in his element: commanding, protective, dominant.

handsome.

but in his wisdom their band stallion was deferring to fancy, and selenia tsked toward the foals, commanding them close again as she stepped lightly, watching what the lead mare would do.

The stud wasn’t far off- he wouldn’t go too far, not while she was a beacon that could yet summon other stallions who could challenge his claim. She doubted any would show up to beat him and if they did, she both suspected- and would hope- that they would fail. She already had designs on birthing a red roan the next year. 

But rather than the mare in oestrus attracting studs from all around, it was the stud who brought home another horse- a healthy, patchwork paint who would definitely add some flair to their herd. 
 
Her own flashy filly moved forward as she did, motioned to stay at her mother’s flank and happy to do so- her hunger was never truly satisfied. Gettin’ yourself a good lookin’ herd of mares, She said to Colosseum who, no doubt, hoped to sire foals this year. Her ears pinned momentarily as she looked to the paint- a reflex, more than an earnest gesture. 

I’m Fancy, lead mare. You got a name?

sundown stood beside colosseum silently, golden coat catching the muted light as she observed the approaching mare. the chestnut's presence was commanding, her gaze sharp. assessing. she met fancy's eyes with a steady calmness, wordless.

"sundown," she replied simply, voice carrying the lilt of distant plains. she let the name settle between them, ears flicked forward, attentive to the dynamics at play.

she understood the weight of this meeting—the importance of unspoken evaluations being made, of first impressions, but sundown was not much for talk. she did not feel the need to address it further, simply letting her look instead.