Sleepy Fox Hollow [M] The Ballad of Lonely Bear

he watched her with the eye of a storm held at bay.

fancy, all cool indifference and clover-chewing grace. but colosseum saw through it. the way her ears twitched to catch his every sound, the flick of her tail too deliberate to be aimless. the roan knew the dance well—she wanted him near, wanted his fire, but not without a test of his worth.

his hide twitched. his muscles rippled beneath the dusk-kissed sheen of sweat and dust.

colosseum stepped forward. no herding, not for her. no force. he’d never needed that. he was too proud a beast, too old and known in the land to chase a mare who didn't wish it. but fancy—oh, she wished it. she just wanted him to make it count.

he closed the space between them with heavy silence, his breath warm when it reached her flank. he lowered his head, lips brushing along the edge of her hip—not possessive, not even flirtatious. reverent.